Thursday, March 1, 2018

The Cavalier Daily Vol. 128, Issue 22

Thursday, March 1, 2018

THE

FUTURE OF

FREE SPEECH PAGE 3

PHOTOS BY RICHARD DIZON, CHRISTINA ANTON, TIM DODSON

THE CAVALIER DAILY

N

2

This week in-brief

NEWS

Maggie Servais | News Editor

Honor Committee approves reform to Informed Retraction process, hears from Honor Audit Commission Following a joint meeting with the University Judiciary Committee Feb. 25, the Honor Committee held its own general body meeting where members voted in favor of implementing a proposed reform to the Informed Retraction process allowing accused students to combine multiple offenses under one IR. The Committee discussed the proposed reform to the IR process — where students who have been reported to the Committee for an Honor violation are allowed to admit their offense and serve a two-semester leave of absence from the University after being reported by another member of the University community. The reform would allow students to combine multiple singular offenses under a single IR as long as they are reported with specificity, even if the offenses are unrelated or occurred in different contexts.

The meeting concluded with a 18-5 vote in favor of implementing the reform which will only impact cases filed after April 1.

Prior to vote on the IR reform, the Committee heard a presentation on the findings of the Honor Audit Commission which is chaired by Phoebe Willis, Law and Darden student and former student member of the Uni-

versity Board of Visitors.

The Honor Audit Commission was created by the 2015-16 Honor Committee to review the Honor system as a whole and help better connect students to the Honor Committee.

Willis said the HAC worked for the past 18 months to evaluate the general state of the Honor system. Rossin and Willis will present the findings of the HAC to the Board of Visitors Friday.

Through survey data, the HAC found that the Honor system is perceived to be an effective component of the University, with 84 percent of surveyed students stating that they believe Honor is essential in upholding the community of trust at the University. However, the survey responses also showed the perception of Honor representation among the student body does not appear to be as well received. Only 19 percent of surveyed students know who their Honor representatives are and 28 percent of students believe that Honor accurately represents the diversity within the University student body.

The next Honor Committee meeting will take place March 18, and the Executive Board for the incoming Committee will be announced March 25.

FOTA SALL | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Devin Rossin, a fourth-year College Student and Honor Committee Chair, advocated for the IR reform.

Panel considers future of Charlottesville’s governance Panelists and citizens came together at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center for a public forum Feb. 25 on the future of Charlottesville governance. The panel — titled “How might Charlottesville be governed differently in the future?” — was the second of two public forums scheduled for February to address community concerns about governance in the city.

Following the events of last summer, when white nationalist marched on the Lawn Aug. 11 and held the deadly Unite the Right rally in downtown Charlottesville Aug. 12, many citizens have raised concerns over the accountability of local government officials.

The first session, held earlier this month, explored the current format of Charlottesville governance. These panels were organized by Charlottesville Tomorrow and the League of Women Voters in response to citizens asking for informational programs about the form and function of local government in Charlottesville.

The Feb. 25 panel was comprised of former Richmond City Councillor Bill Pantele, former Charlottesville City Councillor George Gilliam, former Lynchburg City Councillor Joan MacCallum and University Law Prof. Rich Schragger. Andrea Douglas, executive director of the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, and

Bob Gibson, communications director of the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service, moderated the panel.

“The community in this place has always been involved in conversations that have directed, that have helped Charlottesville understand its relationship to its civic duty,” Douglas said. “And so having this conversation here today as we’re considering options feels very right.”

Gilliam introduced potential options available for pursuing a new form of governance in Charlottesville including directly electing the city mayor — as opposed to the current process where the mayor is selected from City Council by other members of the Council — or increasing the size of the City Council.

Gilliam commented on how he thinks there is a disconnect of responsibility and knowledge by city officials which displayed itself on Aug. 11 and 12.

“On the part of people who should have known better, they did not understand what their responsibilities were,” Gilliam said. “One thing that we’ve got to make certain is that … everyone understands what their particular role is.”

TEDxUVA hosts ‘5 Seconds of Courage’ for 2018 conference TEDxUVA hosted its annual conference in the Rotunda Feb. 24. This year’s theme was “5 Seconds of Courage” and included seven speakers who gave 18-minute speeches on the topic of overcoming boundaries and setbacks to achieve their goals.

Saturday’s conference is one of two main events TEDxUVA hosts annually — the other being the Student Speaker Competition every fall, where students perform speeches at Boylan Heights, and audience members vote for their favorites to move on to the conference.

TEDxUVA started in 2013, and Feb. 24 was the first time the conference was held in the Rotunda.

In fall 2017, first-year College student George Messenger won the TEDxUVA Student Speaker Competition. He modified the winning speech slightly to engage with the “5 Seconds of Courage” theme and explored the similarities between hip-hop and classical poetry.

“Listen to music as it was made to be listened to, listen to it for the artistry,” Messenger said. “Understand what you listen to, study up on it, it’s fascinating and enhances your human experience … I ask you to look at the world in color.”

Bradford and Bryan Manning, University alumni and founders of the charitable clothing brand Two Blind Brothers, also spoke at the conference. At the age of seven, the Manning brothers were diagnosed with Stargardt disease — a progressive disease that destroys central vision over time. The profits of their company are dedicated to the Foundation Fighting Blindness, which raises money for research for cures to degenera-

tive eye diseases.

“Two Blind Brothers is a tribute and an exploitation of our blind spots and our cultural blind spots,” Bradford Manning said. “Search out your blind spots, embrace your blind spots.”

Tim Davis, executive director for Resilience and Leadership Development at the University, spoke about cognitive bias and the importance of humility within leadership programs.

Andrea Zepeda, a fourth-year College student and an attendant of both the 2017 and 2018 TEDxUVA conferences, said she was particularly moved by Davis’ focus on humility.

“Talks like this are why we’re here at U.Va. — to expand our minds and learn new things,” Zepeda said. “I especially loved how Professor Tim Davis correlated his speech with humility. It made me think of something my dad always says, ‘If you don’t know something, don’t be afraid to say, ‘I don’t know.’’

Frank Stephens, a Down Syndrome research advocate and actor gave a speech on his own life and how living with Down Syndrome is a life worth living. Stephens gained recognition last October when he testified before members of Congress, urging them to allocate federal funds to research to help people with Down Syndrome.

“I want to make a point that a life with Down syndrome can be as full and exciting as any other,” Stephens said. “I urge all of you, to take some time, to consider what you believe to be the value of a human life.”

www.cavalierdaily.com • NEWS

THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2018

3

Proposed regulations on outside speakers stirs debate Local attorney Jeff Fogel, College Republicans express concerns over potential limits on free expression Xieyang Qiao | Senior Writer Six months after the white nationalist rallies of Aug. 11 and 12, the University is currently considering policy changes proposed by the Deans Working Group that would limit the ability of individuals unaffiliated with the University to gather on Grounds.

Students, faculty and community members have had mixed reactions to the newly proposed regulations.

Risa Goluboff, dean of the Law School and chair of the Deans Working Group, said in an email to The Cavalier Daily that the proposed policy is modeled on freedom of expression provisions for unaffiliated groups that are currently in place at the University of Maryland. The UMD policy states that campus facilities are available primarily for programs offered by and intended for the university community.

“The Maryland policy was a good guide because it was upheld by the Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, the same federal circuit of which Virginia is a part,” Goluboff said.

“Other universities such as Virginia Commonwealth University have also adopted similar policies.”

While the UMD policy allows only one place on campus for public forum by unaffiliated individuals — the school’s ampitheater — the University’s proposed policy lists multiple “designated locations” for unaffiliated groups to organize including the McIntire Amphitheater and North Rotunda Plaza, which is the area surrounding the Jefferson state and the lower area between the sidewalk and University Avenue. Other locations include Newcomb plaza between Newcomb Hall and the Bookstore, Nameless Field, Mad Bowl, the grass triangles down the hill from Brooks Hall, Brown Residential College grass field and the Observatory Hill grass field.

“We have [a] 7-day advance reservations rather than 5 days, to prevent the weekend from affecting different speakers differently,” Goluboff said.

“The Maryland policy identified one place for speaking with an adjacent spot for distributing literature: we’d like to identify more than one. One unique feature of our policy is that it expressly does not apply to speech in response to a University event or speaker. It seemed important to make that clear.”

Goluboff said that the First Amendment allows for the reasonable regulation of speech by universities.

“First Amendment law provides that speech may be reasonably regulated according to time, place, or manner,” Goluboff said. “So, for example, a city can regulate loudspeakers and other amplified sound. Similarly, universities can designate certain times or areas for expressive activity.”

According to Goluboff, time, place

and manner regulations are a common practice at many public universities and the amendment proposed by the University is modest in its scope.

“Many university policies go farther in regulating when and where students can speak in outside areas,” Goluboff said. “Our aim is more modest — ensuring that speakers from outside the university have speech opportunities while student needs and the educational mission are met.” *** University President Teresa Sullivan created the Deans Working Group following the events of Aug. 11 and 12, when white nationalists marched on the Lawn and held the deadly “United the Right” rally in downtown Charlottesville the following day. The group is tasked with evaluating the University’s response to the events and proposing changes to current policy structures.

The proposed policy aims to ensure that the University is free from disruptions or protests by unaffiliated individuals on Grounds while maintaining their First Amendment right to freedom of speech on Grounds to certain designated locations.

The policy would regulate the use of outdoor University property by unaffiliated individuals — those who are not University students, faculty or staff, including alumni. The regulations would create a list of designated spaces where such unaffiliated persons can gather, limit the number of attendees and require advanced reservation of spaces during specific hours of the work week for set lengths of time.

Goluboff said that the policy amendment is being considered in response to the Aug. 11 white nationalist march on Grounds.

“The realization after August 11 that a policy such as this one would have provided advance notice of unaffiliated speakers who planned to speak on Grounds,” Goluboff said.

“Such information can enhance open discourse at the University by enabling it to plan for future events and ensure that such events occur at a time and place consistent with the University’s mission and character as a residential and educational institution.”

The proposed amendment to University policy falls under the ‘time, place, and manner’ restrictions, which the University released in 2016. Time regulations identify when individuals may express themselves, place regulations specify where individuals may express themselves and manner regulations manage the mode of individual expression.

Under current University policy, the assembly is not strictly regulated. Unaffiliated groups are allowed to gather in any outdoor space on Grounds with minor regulations on the time, place and manner of the

CHANDLER COLLINS | THE CAVALIER DAILY

McIntire Ampitheater is one of a number of suggested designated locations where unaffiliated people would be limited to gather if the proposed policy were passed.

expression. These regulations include preserving the aesthetics of the University’s property, not creating safety issues and not disrupting University functions. The Supreme Court has historically ruled that governing authorities can put such reasonable limitations on the time, place and manner of individual expression.

Goluboff said the Deans Working Group is still in the process of eliciting feedback from students and faculties on the proposed policy and added that potential changes could be made to the policy as a result. The group hosted its own student feedback session earlier this month, and Goluboff also spoke at a University Democrats meeting last week to discuss the implications of the proposed policy. University Law Prof.

Margaret Riley also addressed Student Council on the proposed changes at its meeting Tuesday.

“The Deans Working Group is sharing the proposed policy with students, faculty, and staff around Grounds to get input,” Goluboff said.

“It is also examining how the University can approach what happened here as a launching pad for future research, teaching, and the advancement of knowledge.” *** Local attorney Jeff Fogel said that the proposed policy not only serves as an unnecessary overreaction from the University to the events of Aug.11 and 12, but also restricts freedom of expression for local community members.

“The University is living within a community and that community is not distinct or separate from the Grounds,” Fogel said. “The notion that we are unaffiliated because we are not enrolled, working, or teaching is simply not the truth.”

“The proposal is an over-broad reaction to an incident which was in fact the fault of the University,” Fogel added. “Now the University turns around

and oppresses everybody who is not considered as affiliated.”

In talking about alternative measures to ensure safety on Grounds while protecting the rights of free expression, Fogel said that the University and the University Police Department should be more accountable to students.

“The University is not an isolated institute on the edge of the earth,” Fogel said. “That one night was the fault of the administration and the police department was totally screwed up. I don’t think anything needs to be done if the University has paid attention and the police department has been responsible.”

John W. Whitehead, an attorney and founder of The Rutherford Institute, a civil liberties institute, said that the university campus is considered as a limited public forum. Hence, regulations may be implemented on the premise of not being discriminatory.

“I think we are in a very dangerous time concerning free speech. Any restriction needs to be reasonable and neutral,” Whitehead said. “In terms of the University’s restriction, I think it meets the standards.”

Whitehead said that the proposed policy should not infringe upon students’ rights of free speech.

“The University can limit the freedom of speech for people off-campus but must make sure that it is not limiting students’ exercise of free speech,” Whitehead said. “Students should be taught that the way to overcome speeches you do not like is not to shut people down but to encourage more free speech and to be more tolerant.

The First Amendment says that listen, we give you the freedom of speech, but you need to assemble peacefully.”

Joseph Dennie, a second-year College student and communications director for the University Democrats, said in an email to The Cavalier Daily that the proposed policy could create

a safer environment on Grounds for students and raise their awareness of unaffiliated groups on Ground.

“Free speech is currently a contentious issue on campuses across the country, but we do not consider this policy to be too restrictive,” Dennie said. “The University is not regulating what unaffiliated groups are saying. They simply are making sure they know who these groups are, and ensuring that they are not disrupting University business.”

Dennie said that while members of the University Democrats were initially concerned about the proposed policy, they do not think it would affect guest speakers and politicians who are invited to the University by student groups.

“Dean Goloboff made clear to us that these individuals would not be subject to the new regulations since they would be the guests of our affiliated organization,” Dennie said.

In contrast to Dennie, Adam Kimelman — a third-year College student and Chair of the College Republicans — said in an email to The Cavalier Daily that the proposed amendment could potentially compromise the rights of free expression on Grounds.

“Regulating where unaffiliated individuals can gather in only a few zones and specific times is restricting the First Amendment rights to an unnecessary point,” Kimelman said.

“While it may be useful in keeping individuals off of grounds who we don't want here, we believe that there are more effective policies that won't have the same impact on individuals.”

No representatives of the University of Maryland responded to requests for comment by press time.

4

THE CAVALIER DAILY

NEWS • www.cavalierdaily.com

U.Va to not penalize applicants suspended for protests Student Council, Minority Rights Coalition to hold walkout and march to support gun violence victims Isabel Jones | Staff Writer University Dean of Admission Gregory Roberts issued an online statement last Friday affirming that U.Va. will not penalize applicants for school suspensions that resulted from protests responding to the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. or any other peaceful demonstration. Seventeen people were killed and 14 others were injured during the shooting.

This decision adds the University to a growing list of colleges across the country — including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dartmouth College and Tufts University — that have publicly announced their support of prospective students partaking in acts of peaceful civic engagement against gun violence and other causes, even if they have been subject to suspension by their high school. This pledge follows threats from high school administrators in Texas and Wisconsin that have said any student who participates in such protests will face disciplinary action.

The Office of Admission’s announcement comes in light of a nationwide walkout planned for March 14 in which high school and college students across the country will walk out of classes at 10 a.m. for 17 minutes to protest Congressional inaction on gun control initiatives and show solidarity for the victims of the shooting.

At the University, both the Minority Rights Coalition and Student Council have scheduled events March 14 in support of the national walk out movement and to show solidarity with the victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

“We seek students who fight for what they believe in and strive for justice, equity, and peace,” Roberts wrote in the statement. “We grieve with the students and families affected by the horrific shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School; we share the national frustration and sorrow over gun violence across the country; and we admire and are grateful for student activists who are leading the charge for change.”

Assoc. Dean of Admission Jeannine Lalonde said Robert’s statement was not only in support of protests against the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, but also in support of student civic engagement in general.

According to Lalonde, the University does not have a blanket policy concerning the penalization of applicants or accepted students if they have had disciplinary actions taken against them before or

RICHARD DIZON | THE CAVALIER DAILY

The University Office of Admissions will not penalize applicants who have been suspended for protesting gun violence.

after submitting their applications via the Common Application but added that it is largely handled on a case by case basis. In the application, there is a space provided for the student to explain the reason for the offense, and each case is evaluated individually based on this explanation. Roberts has the authority to make any final admissions decisions.

“I think that it is important to note that in Dean Roberts’s statement, the first two lines are very general, and then the second half of his statement is specific to what is happening right now,” Lalonde said. “So some students are saying this is just about the walkout that’s being planned for March. But [it’s not], this is about civic engagement in general.”

Roberts, Lalonde and several other Admission officers are part of a college activism group composed of college counselors and admissions staff from around the country called ACCEPT — a social justice action group that addresses social issues on college campuses. According to Lalonde, the group initiated discussions on the walkouts and the implications of resulting student suspensions last Monday after a high school superintendent from Texas threatened to suspend students if they participate in acts of protest during school hours.

“To me it almost seems obvious that a school, with our founder, would support protests,” Lalonde

said. “We are a public school so I think it’s kind of obvious.”

Despite the Office of Admissions’ endorsement of political expression and civic engagement, Tom Katsouleas, executive vice president and provost for the University said in an email to faculty and staff that the University administration will not absolve current students from potential negative consequences that `could result from participating in the walkout planned by Student Council.

Professors will not be required to exempt students from work missed during the walkout, but are allowed to modify their syllabi at their discretion in response to the event.

Although the University will not be offering exemptions, Katsouleas said it still seeks to support incoming and current students as they speak out against gun violence.

Katsouleas added that the University encourages students to express their grief and political will in appropriate, peaceful ways in line with student activism that has been seen and applauded in the past.

“Indeed, it has been part of our mission for 200 years to develop citizen leaders for democracy, and our students frequently remind us of the numerous ways they embrace that aspiration,” Katsouleas wrote.

“That said, the long history of civil disobedience includes the courage to accept the consequences for those acts.”

Student Council has organized a student walk out scheduled for March 14 at 10 a.m. on the Lawn side steps of the Rotunda which will feature a letter writing station to send messages concerning gun violence to members of Congress.

The MRC will also be holding the “Solidarity March to end gun violence” which will begin at the Amphitheater and travel along McCormick Road to the Rotunda after a series of speakers.

Sarah Kenny, a fourth-year College student and Student Council president, said in an email to The Cavalier Daily that the Student Council walkout serves to honor the victims of the shooting and promote social change.

“StudCo organized this walkout to first and foremost pay our respects to the students who have lost their lives to gun violence in the last year, joining students across the country to remember the students lost at Stoneman Douglas High School a month ago from the date [of the shooting],” Kenny said.

“Additionally, we know that there lies great strength in numbers, and … we can contribute to significant and sustainable social change. We hope to fill the lawn with thousands of students, faculty, and staff members to demonstrate to ourselves, to one another, to our community, and to leadership across the country that truly, we've had enough.”

Kenny added that she thinks the University should not penalize

applicants to U.Va. or current students for partaking in civil disobedience.

“I do not think the University should penalize such students — civil disobedience is a brave and powerful technique uniquely effective at illuminating and disrupting the inadequacies in our legal system,” Kenny said. “Lives are quite literally on the line, and students who non-violently demonstrate exhibit a commitment to community and justice that I find attractive in a candidate for a university student.”

Raiya Al-Nsour, a second-year College student and Vice Chair of Advocacy for the MRC, said the solidarity march was organized to support the victims of the Parkland shooting and gun violence victims everywhere.

“The issue of gun violence has been present in our public consciousness but seldom has it stirred this kind of reaction,” Al-Nsour said. “As a nation, it feels as though we’ve allowed ourselves to become numb to gun violence. That is absolutely unacceptable. I am so proud of the young people organizing in Florida… They have forced this country into having serious conversations on this issue. We decided to organize this march as a show of solidarity with the victims of gun violence in Parkland, as well as with the victims of gun violence in Ferguson and beyond.”

www.cavalierdaily.com • NEWS

THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2018

5

Court rules to remove shrouds on Lee, Jackson statues Decision comes as anti-white supremacy protesters gather outside courthouse Joshua Okada and Katja Cresanti | Senior Writers s A judge ruled Tuesday that the tarps had overstayed their temporary natureCharlottesville Circuit Court Judge Richard Moore ruled Tuesday that the City of Charlottesville must remove the black shrouds covering the statues of Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson in Emancipation and Justice Parks, respectively.

Moore previously postponed his decision about removing the shrouds earlier this month.

The tarps covering the statues were removed Wednesday.

In October, former City Attorney Craig Brown and Deputy City Attorney Lisa Robertson argued the tarps were a temporary measure to mourn the loss of life and severe injuries the community endured on Aug. 12. At the time, Moore ruled the tarps could remain. Tuesday, however, Moore ruled the shrouds have since overstayed their temporary nature.

When City Council first ordered

the statues to be covered, it did not set a date for the tarps’ removal.

Before the hearing began, around 50 community members gathered in front of the Courthouse for a protest urging Moore to rule in favor of keeping the shrouds currently covering the statues. The demonstration was led by a number of local divisions of activist groups including Black Lives Matter, Showing Up for Racial Justice — a national organization that promotes multiracial activism — and Charlottesville Democratic Socialists of America.

Protesters held signs reading, “Tear down monuments to white supremacy,” “Remove Jim Crow statues,” “Stop defending white supremacy” and “Hate has no home here,” among others.

City Council voted 3-2 to remove the statue of Lee last February while the vote to remove the statue of Jackson passed unanimously in September. The council ordered the statues to be shrouded following

Aug. 12, when white nationalists held the Unite the Right rally in Emancipation Park which resulted in the death of Charlottesville resident Heather Heyer after a car plowed into a group of counter-protesters near the Downtown Mall.

The city released a statement following the hearing Tuesday expressing its disappointment with the ruling but it intends to respect the court’s decision.

Nina Zinsserzooth, a Charlottesville native and representative of SURJ, was present at the rally. Before the court ruled to remove the tarps, she said the removal of the statues would be a step toward recovering from the events of August.

“How does a city heal from an event like that when were still dealing with these statues?” Zinsserzooth said. “And maybe uncovered, a bright beacon of white supremacist to come back into the cities. It’s really upsetting as a resident of the city. I feel our community [is] at risk

until those statues come down.”

Other community members without any particular affiliation with the leading organizations also attended the rally in support of removing the statues.

“We have been continuing to unite and rally and bring awareness of what these monuments actually mean,” said Don Gathers, a Charlottesville resident and former chair of the city’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Race, Memorials and Public Spaces. “This is an ongoing battle and the fight will go on till voices are clearly heard and they take down these signs of oppression.”

Gathers commented on the removal of Confederate symbols in other cities around the nation, following the events of August.

“Literally what we saw after what happened from that tragic weekend, places from all over the nation started taking down these racist markings,” Gathers said. “The movement started here in Charlottesville, and

we might be the last people to take them down.”

The hearing Tuesday was the continuation of an ongoing lawsuit filed last March against the City of Charlottesville and members of City Council who served on the body in 2017 — Wes Bellamy, Kristin Szakos, Bob Fenwick, Mike Signer and Kathy Galvin. Fenwick and Szakos are no longer on Council, as their terms came to an end in December.

Two organizations — the Virginia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, Inc. and the Monument Fund, Inc. — and 11 individuals filed the suit, arguing the decision to remove the statues violated Virginia code protecting memorials for war veterans.

The next hearing is set for April 11.

Michelle Alexander speaks on Grounds Attendees filled capacity in Old Cabell Hall to hear the best-selling author Kara Peters | Senior Writer Several hundred students, faculty and Charlottesville residents assembled in Old Cabell Hall to hear from Michelle Alexander, the New York Times best-selling author of “The New Jim Crow” Tuesday. The event was hosted by the School of Engineering and Applied Science as a part of the Excellence through Diversity Distinguished Learning Series.

The event quickly hit capacity in Old Cabell Hall — which holds a maximum of 851 people — and an additional 50 people watched a livestream from Rouss Hall. Approximately 250 people waiting in line for the free event were unable to attend.

The exceptionally large turnout prompted the Distinguished Learning Series administration to consider exploring larger venues for the next speaker, political activist Angela Davis, scheduled for March 27.

Before the event, Alexander spoke with The Cavalier Daily about one of the major themes of her book “The New Jim Crow” — that the racism and white supremacy that helped establish slavery in America, reemerged later as Jim Crow, segregation and now mass incarceration of African Americans. Alexander

related the theme back to events in Charlottesville last summer when white nationalists marched on the Lawn and held the deadly Unite the Right rally Downtown on Aug 11 and 12, respectively.

“The events in Charlottesville most recently show that what many thought was past is present,” Alexander said. “If we are going to deal meaningfully and constructively with racial injustice and racial inequality today, we have to be willing to face very squarely our racial history and begin the process of truth telling and making amends in order for reconciliation to be possible.”

Alexander participated in an open conversation on stage with moderator Kerry Abrams, a University Law Professor and vice provost for Faculty Affairs. Throughout the event, Alexander touched on several issues, including mass deportation and mass incarceration.

“This is an excellent example of how … when you fail to challenge one human rights nightmare in its infancy, it inevitably gives birth to others,” Alexander said.

Alexander addressed another theme in her book — that throughout history, there have been racial

and social controls that appear to die, but are simply hidden from the general eye. She made a point to explain that racism has never disappeared, but has instead transferred into our “selective subconscious.”

“Whether or not we return to that kind of America or whether we reimagine our democracy and push forward and evolve as a nation and as a people is the question that we face here in Charlottesville and as a nation as a whole,” Alexander said.

The conversation also featured Lt. Gov. Justin E. Fairfax (D), who spoke on the importance of individuals telling the truth in historical context.

“I think the role of universities … is to tell the truth,” Fairfax said.

“Truth is a powerful weapon against misinformation but we have to make sure that we are doing it consistently and doing it in a way that is accessible to all.”

Thomas Pilnik, program coordinator of the Office of Diversity and Engagement, has worked with Dean Gates in enhancing the series from the previous year. This year’s series began last September with Harvard Professor Cornel West, who spoke after the events of Aug. 11 and 12.

Pilnik said after West’s talk, the series had a new meaning.

“From that moment I think the tone was set,” Pilnik said. “Everyone that has followed has come here knowing that it is more meaningful than ever to stand on the fate of Charlottesville, Virginia to be disputed with the University of Virginia.”

Following the event, second-year Engineering student Nia Blibo said she learned a lot from Alexander’s book, her talk on understanding history and how to move forward in shedding light on current issues.

“I think my biggest takeaway from her book and from this talk in general is just [to keep] pushing the boundaries of what we are allowing to be told, what the narrative is about history in general and what our present day is going to look like,” Blibo said. “So that the people who have been disenfranchised and people who don’t have a voice have a voice, and so that in later generations we can get a complete picture of what today’s world and what our past looked like.”

The Excellence through Diversity Distinguished Learning Series was developed in 2016 by John

Fitzgerald Gates, associate dean and chief diversity officer for the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, who joined the University faculty in March of that year. After numerous students expressed the need for more diversity and inclusion, Gates decided to develop the series to allow students to hear from high-profile speakers on inclusion and excellence.

Gates said this series is not just for students to be engaged, but also individuals within the community to have the opportunity to listen to the speakers as well.

“We wanted to make sure that communities were represented and so we’ve had in mind the whole of U.Va. and charlottesville, but also communities that are often marginalized and disenfranchised,” Gates said.

The next and penultimate speaker in the series is political activist, scholar and writer Angela Davis, who is scheduled to speak March 27.

The series will conclude with a visit from former NFL player and LGBTQ activist Michael Sam April 12.

THE CAVALIER DAILY

L

6

Roots opens new location, launches app Corner restaurant expands down the street and online

LIFE

Faith Schweikert | Feature Writer

A new restaurant serving healthy salad and grain bowls opened its doors in 2015 to a Corner monopolized by fast food. Nearly three years have passed since then, and Roots Natural Kitchen has come a long way since its humble beginnings.

Economic Prof. Lee Coppock was a former teacher of the Roots founders. His cited their success in part due to their knowledge of the college culture and market for food like Roots provides.

“It came around at the right time, and people just really wanted some fresh salads,” Coppock said.

Roots added its second location, after its original on West Main Street, last year in Newark, Del. to serve those around the University of Delaware. This summer anticipates the opening of restaurants new locations in Richmond, Va., Pittsburgh Pa., and Austin, Texas. With all this going on around the country, Roots is also growing just up the street from the University.

When St. Maarten’s Cafe on Wertland St. closed in 2016, the Roots founders saw the opportunity to expand without having to leave their

current location. The space has been completely renovated to fit Roots’ original eco-chic vibe from West Main.

“We opened [the new location because] the kitchen was starting to feel too small,” co-founder of Roots Alberto Namnum said. “It was a really small space, and you couldn’t make things in as large quantities as you would’ve liked to because there wasn’t the storage for it.”

The Wertland Street location now serves as a headquarters of sorts for the Roots’ app order pickups, catering, additional prep space for the Charlottesville and Richmond locations and a potential delivery service.

“It seemed like there was a demand that wasn’t being fully met,” Namnum said. “There’s people who will walk to Roots, see the line, then not want to get in it because it’s too long.”

The goal of the Wertland Street location is to help shorten the lines outside West Main. Customers can order their bowls through the Roots Natural Foods app and pick them up at Wertland Street instead of joining a longer line.

“The app is probably the most ex-

citing thing, [but had] one tiny problem,” Namnum said. “I’m a big fan of testing things before they’re not complete, so you restrict the potential damage and then you can look, learn and build it throughout the learning process.”

When the new app launched Feb. 15, an error in the coding resulted in roughly 500 orders for 12 p.m., contrary to the coding that was meant to receive four orders every five minutes. After rushing to make nearly 250 no-substitution bowls and handing out coupons and free bowls via email, the Roots team has recovered and ensured that the app is ready and workable for iOS, with Android usage coming soon.

“We’ve laughed a lot since it happened because life comes down to those memories,” Namnum said.

“What happened definitely shouldn’t happen again.”

After the initial mishap, University students have begun to see the benefits of the app.

“I tried it [the app] on the day it failed and it said I wasn’t in the correct time frame,” fourth-year College student and avid Roots-goer Jenny Lee said. “Though I’m sad St.

Maarten’s won’t be another bar, I’m happy that I won’t have to wait in that line [on West Main] anymore.”

No matter how many locations Roots expands to or how successful the Wertland location is, there are no plans to move away from the tiny location on West Main that serves hospital workers and University students alike or to dramatically change

the food served in any of its locations.

“We’re not trying to change,” Namnum said. “The whole goal is to keep the bowls and make them good.

It’s important to remember why you did things the way you originally did things. This is our home, I don’t think we would ever leave ... It’d be sad to see a Roots where the line fits indoors.”

CHRISTINA ANTON | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Roots, a staple on the corner, added a second Charlottesville location last week.

‘America Forum’ program signs off The Miller Center’s television program committed to promoting civil discourse ends due to a lack of funding Meagan O’Rourke | Feature Writer A standing ovation welcomed “American Forum” host and producer Doug Blackmon as he walked onto the set for the final episode.After reaching 85 percent of PBS networks nationwide, attracting four 2016 presidential candidate guests and hosting political movers and shakers from across the spectrum, the University’s Miller Center television program will air its last episode March 4 due to a lack of funding.

“There’s been a very affirming outpouring of unhappiness from our viewers that we were going off the air because people appreciated it, and in some respects, it has been a long time since there was that kind of television available in America,” Blackmon said.

“There wasn't anyone else doing anything like it.”

Using his experience as a Pulitzer Prize winning author and a multimedia journalist, Blackmon revamped the Miller Center’s lecture style program “The Miller Center Forums” in 2015 to create “American Forum” — a half hour long interview-style show on PBS in which leading political experts and scholars spoke about topics ranging from poetry in politics to ra-

cial issues. The show aired on Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons on local PBS networks. The goal of each show is to provide in-depth and un-intimidating coverage — something he believes is increasingly uncommon in today’s political climate. “‘American Forum’ was uniquely suited to the current moment in America’s political life and particularly the fact that we were making the changes we were, becoming the program that did at the very moment that our national discourse was going off a cliff and into a den of vipers,” Blackmon said.

Since its revitalization, Blackmon has interviewed politicians like Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.), as well as activists like DeRay McKesson. Before each interview, the production team meticulously researched the guest and their issue.

“The hallmark of the program was that in every interview that we did, it would be the most thoroughly informed interview the subject had ever encountered,” Blackmon said.

The program relied on a larger team than what was seen on air, including Cristina Lopez-Gottardi, a co-producer and assistant professor

at the Miller Center, and University undergraduate students, gaining production skills. Alumnus Alex Griffith joined the show his third year as a student editor and became a permanent assistant editor his fourth year.

While Griffith understands the difficulty of reaching increasingly polarized audiences with a non-partisan program, he believes the setup of the show sparked its popularity.

“Guests really liked the fact that they could be given an hour with no interruptions or spin or agendas to just talk about a specific issue,” Griffith said.

William Hitchcock, a history professor and Miller Center Scholar, will be the show’s final guest. He has been on the show once before to discuss his research on U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower and appreciated the show’s format and Blackmon’s thoughtful interviewing style.

“It does not lean strongly to one side or another like most of the cable news now does, but it is also not formulaic like, for example, the ‘NewsHour’ which basically always has one person from the right and one person

from the left on every single issue,” Hitchcock said. “That’s good, but it gets a little formulaic it gets a little predictable. [American Forum] allows you to go in greater depth.”

In a time of struggling civil discourse, Hitchcock wishes the show could continue informing viewers nationwide.

“I think it is a huge missed opportunity that the University, whether it is the president’s office or the provost office or the College of liberal arts, [decided] to not intervene to not provide financial support for a program that could become a national showcase for civil discourse coming from the University of Virginia,” Hitchcock said.

William Antholis, the Miller Center’s CEO, recognizes the financial challenges the program faced.

“Television is a difficult business, it is a changing business and that doesn’t apply only to public broadcasting that applies to cable television,” Antholis said. “A combination of civil discourse and using video in a new digital environment will remain a priority for us, and we just have to adapt to the times and bring our first-rate content to people’s different viewing habits and patterns.”

As “American Forum” ends, the Miller Center will launch a new series of public events called “The Miller Center Presents” to continue the center’s tradition of pairing national and global leaders with Miller Center and U.Va. scholars. The show will be streamed online, and Antholis hopes it will reach more University students while continuing the same spirit of civility as “American Forum.”

“Coming to the Miller Center to have that civil discourse that Doug has promoted so greatly was one of the real attractions for me, and the scholars that we will be featuring more are committed to that,” Antholis said.

In the meantime, fans can watch past “American Forum” episodes on the Miller Center’s website.

“The show still holds up now since [episodes] were hour long segments,” Griffith said. “They were news of the day. They were real neat, iconic discussions that you could go back to 10 years from now and find really useful insight. People should not be dissuaded from checking out the show just because it is canceled.”

www.cavalierdaily.com • LIFE

THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2018

7

The temperature, the sun and our happiness are also rising

1

Grace Breiner | Top Ten Writer

Brunch time is the best time

2

Did you know that the price of an Uber ride from dorms to IHOP ranges from $13 to $50?

What’s a girl to do when it’s 1 a.m., and there are no pancakes around? Eat other food? That just sounds horrible. Over spring break there is nothing to stop you from rolling out of bed at 1 p.m. and driving to your favorite brunch place.

You could even go on a pancake road trip if you want. The world is your pancake.

Sleeping in past noon Waking up before the sun is very unnerving.

I really prefer to wake up when the sun has done all the work of rising, and I can just stay in my pajamas. Not that I have anything against mornings — it’s just sleeping right through them is so nice.

GRACE CODELLA | THE CAVALIER DAILY

3

Getting up and having no work You can get up and do whatever you want. People are going hiking, going to the hot springs and taking trips. Essentially, everyone has the opportunity to live the plot of “Paper Towns.”

You can wake up with no assignments due, and the rest is up to you.

5 MADDY SITA | THE CAVALIER DAILY

7

Seeing people that aren’t aged 18-21

4

A break from classes I love my classes a lot, but imagine waking up at 8 a.m. and then think about not doing that. I’m excited to learn more but maybe after a 24-hour nap and a box of doughnuts. Also, a break from constructive criticism would be ideal in avoiding a subtle dive into self-loathing. I’ll miss the constructive compliments, though.

No more carrying around a backpack Literally, does the entire cast of “Grease” live in my backpack?

Or maybe those trolls from “Frozen?” It weighs so much that by the time I get back to my dorm I dump it on the floor and give it just a little kick for good measure. I know I put the books and laptop and assorted snacks in there, but I have no recollection of also deciding to carry around a whole watermelon. Maybe if I did have a watermelon, I wouldn’t be so bitter because watermelon is delightful and my notebooks are a little short on whimsy.

8

A reunion with your pets Speaking of dogs, I know everyone is missing their pets about now. Or, they have no pets in which case, they could live vicariously through almost anyone. So many people have showed me pictures of their dogs, and I am sincerely delighted. I have a picture of my dog in a hotdog costume that I too could share, as well as some truly adorable cat pictures.

Nothing against 18-year-olds — I think we’re pretty awesome. I do miss seeing people that aren’t having as many panic attacks a day as I am, though. People secure in their lives, and decisions are very difficult to find on a university campus. Though I’m all for the uncertainty of youth and taking time to find the right path for you, it’s nice to see that it’ll work out. Every time I see a dog, I get so excited now because that means someone has their life together enough to not only take care of themselves but also another animal. And a really cute one, too!

9

10 CHLOE TRANN | THE CAVALIER DAILY

6

Clean showers Dorm showers are horrific. There are little tiny bugs, and sometimes, they don’t drain properly. Also, shower shoes are no good. It makes me think about what’s on the floor that I can’t touch.

Weather is less of a problem You wake up, it’s raining — a big surprise — and what does it matter? You could just stay inside! It could even be a good thing because it gives you a reason to stay in bed. Instead of dredging around in Bean Boots and a North Face rain jacket, we could just not.

Sun shining, birds chirping Spring time! Spring is a season of pretty newness, and while I’ve always been fall’s number one fan, I would love to see flowers and bunnies. It sounds like a children’s short story, but as long as I see a bunny, spring can be my new best friend.

8

THE CAVALIER DAILY

LIFE • www.cavalierdaily.com

Kardinal Hall: something old, new, borrowed, brewed Charlottesville’s beer and food scene, hall-style Tucker Wilson | Food Columnist Charlottesville’s beer scene is almost as well-known as its food, and because of it, the beer garden concept is a growing phenomenon in town. With a beer garden comes the influence of the alpine region — the world capital of beer.

The alpine region, and especially Germany, has a well-recognized restaurant style of festive atmosphere, hearty food and a dizzying array of drink selections. Even I, as someone who has never been anywhere near the region, can conjure an image of the iconic European beer garden. The influence of the beer garden is undeniable in Charlottesville’s food and beer scene, and the modern take on the alpine classic can be found at Kardinal Hall.

Kardinal Hall is a modern twist on a traditional beer garden atmosphere. It’s a little bit of everything — an expansive, open floor plan restaurant, a beer hall, an event space — Kardinal Hall does it all. The Kardinal Hall’s layout says everything you need to know about the restaurant — an open floor plan, a bocce ball court, long tables and a bar spanning the entire restaurant.

The Kardinal Hall’s atmosphere comes from the space it resides in. Inside a repurposed Coca-Cola bottling plant, Kardinal Hall uses the warehouse-like space to its advantage. The loud, crowded hall invokes a sense of community and

revelry. Its style is eclectic — part rustic, with a wooden bar and matching tables, and part art deco, with industrial lighting and metal accents. Just like its central theme, Kardinal Hall’s interior is a little bit of many things, and yet its central design still manages to feel cohesive.

As you might have guessed, the dining selection follows the same eclectic pattern. Most of their food is German inspired — hand cranked sausages, pork schnitzel and giant pretzels and the influence in non-traditional dishes as well. Even their chicken salad has a dash of spicy German mustard in the recipe.

However, the food comes from more places than Germany. From their selection of Polish and Italian sausages, to their sinfully savory poutine hailing from Canada, to their offerings of charcuterie and artisanal cheese, the Hall pulls from all regions to serve a menu that spans traditional and modern tastes. They even have a few mixtures of old and new in their cooking, like traditional chicken schnitzel served on fresh-baked bread with bacon aioli and a fried egg, deliciously salty and a personal favorite.

I’d also highly recommend any of their homemade sausages. They come with an array of possible toppings — though sweet peppers and caramelized onions was a personal

favorite. Be warned, however, as the juice soaked — and thus delicious — pretzel bun will fall apart at roughly the fourth bite, forcing even the bravest of eaters forced to go in with a fork and knife.

I also can’t call my food review complete without further mention of their poutine. A take on the traditional Canadian poutine recipe of fatty cheese curds, brown gravy and french fries, Kardinal Hall cooks their poutine with the cheese curds on top — melting and crisping them just enough to make the dish even cheesier than before.

It is the perfect combination of fat, salt, starch and sin. I wouldn’t plan any events for a few hours after eating this dish, but that gravy makes it all worth it.

After you’ve blown past your daily sodium intake on their hearty food selections, you may wash it all down with their wall-spanning menu of drink selections.

As the term beer garden suggests, Kardinal Hall sports a long row of draught offerings and more in bottles, but also supports a full cocktail bar, a wine menu, a selection of coffee, kombucha on draught and more. Just like their food, the drink menu caters to all tastes.

However, where I think Kardinal Hall shines best is the experience itself. Kardinal Hall is not your average sit-down restaurant, and on purpose. It sports a board games collection — including

TUCKER WILSON | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Kardinall Hall is a little bit of everything. With an expansive, open floor plan, a beer hall and an event space, Kardinal Hall does it all.

Chickapig, its own signature game — multiple bocce ball courts, a ping pong table, televisions — whatever the customer may need to stay a little longer.

Most impressively, they sport a massive outdoor space, fully equipped with seating and a full bar. They also host nearly weekly events, from game nights to sports celebrations. Kardinal Hall is catered not at the fast eater, but for the group of friends and family — designed for staying a while and enjoying the food, the drinks and the space itself.

Kardinal Hall really can do it all — a family-friendly, German-in-

spired, community-centric, beer garden with a kitchen to boot.

Your night may start with a craving for all the salty and savory goodness of their burgers or sausages, or for a drink with a group of friends, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that night didn’t stretch on to board games, drinks, snack food or more.

No matter what you’re looking for, Kardinal Hall’s got it, and the impressive selection beyond that will have you coming back time and time again.

Why you should eat at Armando’s The best new Mexican restaurant on the Corner Sadie Goodman | Food Columnist Armando’s, the newest restaurant to open on the Corner, is the perfect place to indulge in endless chips and salsa. Located on 14th Street, right next to Basil, Armando’s is especially attractive because it is much closer to all the action on the Corner than Guadalajara, Mono Loco or El Jaripeo. The food is affordable and really great quality for the price. I predict Armando’s Mexican Restaurant will be an instant success.

I went to Armando’s for the first time for a late lunch on a rainy Saturday afternoon with my good friend Margaret, another first-year. We were seated in a comfortable, well-lit booth as soon as we entered. The interior is simple and very clean. The

subtle decorations and muted colors minimize distractions and allow the delicious scent of the kitchen to take precedence. The restaurant is sectioned off into a few different rooms, which is nice as it minimizes the noise of other diners. I noticed a few TVs around, meaning that this could be a great new spot to enjoy a basketball game.

The service was quick and our meal started with the classic large basket of chips and salsa. I also decided to order a side of the cheese dip as well. This was the best part of my meal. The chips were thin, crispy and not overly salted. The cheese dip was amazing. The texture was velvety and the dip was warm and had just enough bite that it wasn't bor-

ing. And best of all, it had the taste of real cheese, unlike many queso-type cheese dips I’ve tried.

I would even go as far as to call this my favorite queso in Charlottesville. The salsa was refreshing with minimal spice. It had a chunky texture and looked freshly made. The only problem with the chips and dip is that I ate so much I couldn’t finish my main dish.

The menu is extensive and full of options for every diner. I had a tough time narrowing it down, but I eventually chose the enchiladas verdes, two chicken enchiladas with special green salsa and a side of beans and rice. Margaret ordered the salad de camaron, a grilled shrimp and veggie salad with a side of lettuce, cucumbers,

avocados and cheese. Both dishes came out at the same time, about 10 minutes after we ordered.

My meal was warm, flavorful and cooked perfectly. I don’t usually order enchiladas because they tend to get soggy and lose their texture very quickly, but these held a little crunch and stayed fresh the whole time. The refried beans on the side were covered in cheese. They were good but nothing exceptional and definitely best when mixed with the warm rice. Best of all, this dish was only $6.25.

Margaret said her salad was great and her vegetables were “well seasoned.” I tried a piece of the grilled zucchini and can say I agree. Her salad de camaron was $9.50. I thought it was wonderful

that they included some healthier options, such as the salad, on the menu. Eating a more nutritious main course is a great way to justify eating a whole basket of chips with a little less guilt.

I’m so excited to return to Armando’s. The Corner desperately needed a good, cheap Mexican restaurant that is walking distance from dorms and apartments. The interior was comfortable and welcoming, but not too exciting. The food was the standout element because it was such a steal and had impressive quality for the price. I can’t wait to go back, order another bowl of the cheese dip and try the rest of the menu. Armando’s is a definite win.

THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2018

S

The Roundtable — The start of spring seasons Answering the hottest questions about baseball, men’s lacrosse, women’s basketball

SPORTS Should the baseball team be concerned about their sluggish start to the season?

Jake Blank, Sports Editor: The injuries are more concerning to me than the performance on the field.

Losing Noah Murdock after a promising freshman season on the mound hurt the Cavaliers’ depth before the fall season even began, and his loss is exacerbated by the injury currently plaguing Chesdin Harrington. Add in outfielder Cameron Simmons’ season ending injury, and Virginia will have to rely on untested players to have sustained success, particularly in the bullpen, which almost blew a 10-1 lead against VMI Tuesday — the Cavaliers eventually won 10-9.

Alec Dougherty, Sports Editor: I would have said ‘yes’ about a week ago, but it seems like the Cavaliers are slowly figuring things out. The team responded well to a series-opening loss to Eastern Kentucky over the weekend with two landslide victories, and avenged their loss against VMI last weekend by beating the Cadets this Tuesday. The offensive void left from injured junior outfielder Cameron Simmons has been filled nicely by freshman infielder Tanner Morris, and starting pitchers Derek Casey and Evan Sperling are off to great starts on the mound.

Emma D’Arpino, Senior Associate Editor: Baseball has a long season ahead of them, and plenty of time to find their rhythm, so I don’t think there’s cause for concern yet. Junior outfielder Jake McCarthy has proven to be a quality player over the years, and freshman infielder Tanner Morris is off to a promising start this season.

Plus, senior pitcher Derek Casey’s great performance against Eastern Kentucky last week was a good sign that Virginia can deliver from the mound. Also, with Coach Brian O’Connor’s experience, you can trust that this team is going to continue to improve throughout the season.

Zach Zamoff, Senior Associate Editor: Virginia baseball shouldn’t be concerned under the helm of Coach Brian O’Connor, who noted after the win against VMI how the team is just beginning to learn how to win. In a long season, a couple of losses to start the year shouldn’t be concerning, particularly in light of how the Cavaliers have come back to win their last four games. However, Virginia does have a few key issues to address in light of injuries. They should rely on solid starting pitching to provide stability this year — Derek Casey has already gotten off to a great start — as they figure out where the offense will come from.

How will men’s lacrosse fare in the ACC this year?

JB: The start to the season has certainly been promising, as few would have thought the Cavaliers would be

9

CD Sports Staff the fourth best team in the country at this juncture. The critical question will be if the defense can keep up with the high flying offense — 18 -15 wins such as the one over Princeton may not be sustainable throughout ACC play, especially given a loaded conference that has five teams ranked in the top 12 nationally.

AD: Coach Lars Tiffany has the talent to build a winner out of Virginia in his second year at the helm, but what is really setting this team apart is its ability to finish close games. After losing four games by one goal last season, the Cavaliers have showed great resilience in crunch time in 2018, both in a big comeback win against Loyola Maryland and in a tight victory against Princeton. With Duke and Syracuse showing flaws early this season, the Cavaliers have a great shot at stealing an even record in the ACC for the first time since 2012.

ED: While the ACC is always incredibly tough — as demonstrated by Virginia’s failure to pick up a single conference win last year – Virginia has already picked up some quality wins thus far in the season. Freshman Ian Laviano and sophomore Michael Kraus have been phenomenal on offense, and, overall, the team seems to be playing with confidence and unity.

I definitely think this team is ready for the challenge of the ACC and I expect the quick-paced, offensive-minded style of the Cavaliers to bring in at least a conference win or two.

ZZ: Now ranked No. 4 in the nation, Virginia men’s lacrosse is on fire, having won their first four games.

Boasting both talented youth — like freshman Ian Laviano, leading the team with 14 goals — and crucial experience — like senior attacker and captain Mike D’Amario — this Cavalier team has what it takes to deliver in the ACC this year, after losing in all contests the past year. Despite the strength of the conference, which has four teams currently ranked in the top ten nationally, Virginia has shown that it has the resilience it takes to play with the best, especially in its comefrom-behind victory over Loyola.

Sunday against Syracuse will be their first test.

Can women’s basketball make a run in the ACC Tournament?

JB: The key will be to do enough to make the cut for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in Coach Joanne Boyle’s seventh season at the helm. While the Cavaliers started ACC play on a tear, they have struggled to find victories against higher ranked teams of late. A trip to the semifinals would almost certainly be enough for Virginia to keep themselves off the bubble. Doing so would require beating No. 5 Notre Dame, a tall task for Boyle and company.

AD: After a Jekyll-and-Hyde season from the Cavaliers, it’s hard to

gauge exactly what their ceiling in the tournament. If the trend of this season continues, Virginia will be able to outlast the easier opponents but will falter when taking on the conference’s premier teams. Coming in as the No. 7 seed, the Cavaliers will take on the winner of Clemson vs. Georgia Tech — both teams they have beaten this season — but must take on national No. 5 Notre Dame if they win, a team they lost to decisively on the road. The team has the pieces to be great in years to come, but haven’t shown it can beat a juggernaut like the Fighting Irish.

ED: Although I believe Virginia will advance beyond their first matchup, I think they’ll run into some trouble beyond that. Should the Cavaliers win against either Clemson or Georgia Tech, with No. 5 Notre Dame awaiting them in the next round, it’s hard to imagine their tournament will continue after the quarterfinal. In order to have a shot at taking down the powerhouse, Notre Dame, and make a deep run, they’ll need sophomore guard Dominique Toussaint and sophomore center Felicia Aiyeotan to play their best. Offensively, Toussaint has a team-high 11.3 points per game, and defensively Aiyeotan has held down the front. Aiyeotan was just named to the All-ACC Defensive team, and leads the conference in blocked shots.

ZZ: The roundtable question about women’s basketball we had earlier concerned whether the Cavaliers would win the ACC. Now, Virginia is in a different place, teetering on the bubble of the NCAA tournament.

While they have consistently handled mediocre teams in ACC play, they have struggled against harder competition, failing to beat a ranked team this year. Thus, although I predict Virginia will upset their first opponent given the difficult competition they have faced this year, I doubt they will advance much further. It will take scoring from post players like sophomore center Felicia Aiyeotan to carry the Cavaliers into the Sweet Sixteen and beyond.

Who has been the most exciting breakout player on a spring sports team?

JB: Junior starter Evan Sperling has been dominant in his first two outings this season. While his 0.00 ERA may not stay as low as it is currently, his 5:1 K/BB ratio indicates his performance is no mirage. Even if his performance slows some, it appears likely Sperling will improve upon the 7.51 ERA he put up in 15 appearances last season. Given the injuries to the pitching staff, his stellar play has been a blessing for the Cavaliers in the early part of the season.

AD: While freshman attackman Ian Laviano’s prolific start to his college career has been a major headline for men’s lacrosse, sophomore transfer midfielder Justin Schwenk deserves major credit for his masterful work as Virginia’s faceoff specialist. Schwenk’s .667 winning percentage at the faceoff-X — good for eighth in Division I — has allowed Virginia to control game tempo in all of their wins this season. His transfer from Monmouth

has given Tiffany a huge asset to work with as he looks to correct issues his team faced last year.

ED: Like the men’s team, the Virginia women’s lacrosse team is also off to an undefeated start. I think sophomore midfielder Nora Bowen has really been a factor in this successful start, and she really made massive strides from last year. In her freshman season, Bowen finished with two goals. But, in the first three games of this season, Bowen has amassed five goals. She has scored in each of Virginia’s contests with two goals against Elon, one against Richmond, and two against Princeton. While the Cavaliers knew they would get quality offense from senior Kasey Behr, last year’s ACC Freshman of the Year Sammy Mueller, and junior Avery Shoemaker, Bowen’s strong start is a little more unexpected. But her key contributions in the underdog win over Princeton show that she’ll play a very important role in Virginia’s success this season.

ZZ: Freshman attackman Ian Laviano. While this might be the easy answer, it is undeniably true that Laviano’s scoring knack has proved to be an X-factor for Virginia. Laviano leads Virginia in goals scored with 14, and is currently sixth in all of Division I lacrosse. It’s not just this scoring edge — and natural ability in lacrosse — that Laviano brings, but energy. Coach Lars Tiffany has noted how much Laviano loves the game by his enthusiasm in practice, in addition to his outstanding performance in games.

CHELSEA BENGSON, RICAHRD DIZON, ANGEL MONROE AND EMMA KLEIN | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Junior starter Evan Sperling (top left) has broken out for baseball. Sophomore guard Dominique Toussaint (top right) leads women’s basketball.

Sophomore midfielder Sammy Mueller (bottom left) and sophomore attack Michael Kraus (bottom right) are stars for women’s and men’s lacrosse.

10

THE CAVALIER DAILY

SPORTS • www.cavalierdaily.com

No. 1 men’s basketball gears up for ACC Tournament With the regular season officially clinched, the Cavaliers will now set their sights on the ACC Tournament Emma D’Arpino | Senior Associate Editor After picking up a dominating win against Pittsburgh, the No.1 Virginia men’s basketball team secured the outright regular season title for the third time in the past five seasons.

“I'm very excited for the guys that have been in this program to win an outright title,” Coach Tony Bennett said. “That's no small feat.”

The Cavaliers (26-2, 15-1 ACC) will now travel to Brooklyn, N.Y. in pursuit of accomplishing another feat, as they vie for the program’s third ACC Championship. The last time Virginia won the title was in the 2013-14 season when the Cavaliers defeated Duke in the final, with a score of 72-63. Virginia was also the regular season champion that year.

The only other time Virginia has claimed the ACC Tournament title was in 1976.

This year, Virginia has proven that it is highly capable of having a chance to cut down the nets at the Barclays Center and win the championship. Among the many achievements for the Cavaliers thus far this season, they were recognized as the top team in the country by the AP Top 25 poll for the first time since 1982.

“We shattered my expectations,” graduate transfer guard Nigel Johnson said. “I expected to be somewhere in the top 4 or 5 in the ACC, but to be outright champs and No. 1 in the country – I didn't even expect that."

Virginia’s offense is currently led by sophomore guard Kyle Guy, who is averaging 14.5 points per game and boasts a 28-game streak for making a three-pointer. Senior guard and team captain Devon Hall has also been instrumental on offense for the Cavaliers, averaging 11.8 points per game, shooting .450 from beyond the three-point arc and making 90.9 percent of his free throws.

Sophomore guard Ty Jerome has proved to be a key contributor for Virginia, as well, with his 10.1 average points per game and his ability to score in high-pressure situations. Off the bench, redshirt freshman guard De’Andre Hunter has delivered consistently solid performances, and has demonstrated he is a major weapon for the Cavaliers. Hunter earned ACC Rookie of the Week honors after scoring 22 points in Virginia’s 59-50 win at Miami on Feb. 13.

However, in line with Bennett’s typical teams, offense hasn’t been the star of this Virginia basketball team. Rather, it’s Virginia’s superb defense that has been causing a buzz in the college basketball world. The Cavaliers are allowing an average of just 52.1 points per game, and are holding teams to 29.6 percent shooting from three. Virginia has also held three opponents to less than 40 points this season, and has held 22 teams to 60 points or fewer.

The Cavaliers will now try to translate that success into the ACC Tournament, where they have already secured the No. 1 seed and a double bye. Virginia’s first game will be in the quarter-final round, which is the same round that they were eliminated from the tournament last year after losing 71-58 to Notre Dame.

No. 5 Duke (24-6, 12-5 ACC), who was last year’s champion and has a historically strong track record at the ACC Tournament with 20 titles under its belt, will undoubtedly be a challenge for the Cavaliers should the two schools meet. While Virginia beat the Blue Devils 65-63 earlier in the season, Duke has a talented squad that features freshman forward Marvin Bagley III, senior guard Grayson Allen, and freshman forward Wendell Carter Jr.

Bagley III dropped an astounding 30 points on the Cavaliers in that contest Jan. 27.

The No. 9 Tar Heels (22-7, 11-5 ACC) are another school with a fantastic tournament track record, claiming 18 ACC Championships themselves. Although the Cavaliers beat then-No. 12 North Carolina convincingly with a 61-49 win at John Paul Jones arena back in early January this season, the Tar Heels have knocked Virginia out of the ACC tournament two times in the past three years. Additionally, North

Carolina senior guard Joel Berry II, who is averaging 17.7 points per game this season, has been successful against Virginia when the two teams have clashed. In the 2016 ACC Title game, Berry II had 19 points as he guided the Tarheels to a 61-57 win, and he also had 17 points in the meeting between the teams this year.

However, regardless of what opponents Virginia has to face in the tournament, the Cavaliers have shown that they are an elite team with the potential to have great success in the postseason.

“We've got to keep playing to the best of our abilities,” Bennett said. “We're going to try to improve, try to prepare the right way and play to win. We cannot get more complicated than that.”

The first game for Virginia will be on March 8 at 12 p.m. against a to-be-determined opponent.

ANDREW WALSH | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Sophomore guard Ty Jerome will try to continue his clutch play in the ACC Tournament.

THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2018

O

11

LEAD EDITORIAL

Stand up, walk out

OPINION

Students should support local initiatives to curb gun-violence

T

he Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School mass shooting on Feb. 14 joins the long American tradition of gun violence. No other country’s civilians own as many guns or suffer as many domestic gun-related fatalities. Yet even after the wake of this most recent deadly shooting in Florida, lawmakers at both the state and federal level have been complacent. Because of their political inaction, Stoneman Douglas high schoolers have organized to push for significant reforms, generating over 2.8 million dollars in fundraising for the March For Our Lives as well as creating a significant social movements on platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. The Cavalier Daily Editorial Board endorses their

#ENOUGH National School Walkout campaign, and encourages University students to participate in local events coordinated by Student Council and the Minority Rights Coalition.

The escalation of gun violence impacting American students has reached a fever pitch. This phenomenon arose in the 1970s, with the shootings getting deadlier as time progressed. These shootings have varied from college campuses, such as that of Virginia Tech’s, to elementary school classrooms, such as the Sandy Hook tragedy.

A common denominator of these shootings is the weapon of choice by their perpetrators — the AR-15. The weapon’s military equivalents — the M16 and M4 rifles — enable the systematic decimation of human victims.

These guns have both the precision and the power to cause immediate death to their targets. In addition, the AR-15 rifle can be modified with a bump stock — an attachable feature that gives it the capacity of an automatic rifle — effectively granting military grade weapons to civilians. As of present day, only seven states and the District of Columbia have banned bump stocks.

Participating in these local events is an important step towards addressing the increasing severity of gun violence in school settings. On March 14, students will have the opportunity to come together on the Lawn to show solidarity with the students of Stoneman Douglas, and call on elected officials to take action.

Later that evening, the MRC will

be hosting the Solidarity March to End Gun Violence, which will begin in the Amphitheater. The student activists of Stoneman Douglas are standing up so these weapons of war are revoked from civilian use — and University students should join the fight.

The United States is in dire need of gun reform to protect civilian lives. The national walkouts scheduled on March 14, a month after the shootings in Florida, are effective symbolic actions for American students to participate in — no longer are schools guaranteed to be safe.

The board implores college students to show solidarity with their high school counterparts.

No longer can we assume that opportunity to learn does not come with possible risk to our lives.

As the organizers from Florida stated, these future walkouts and marches truly are measures to “save our lives.” In light of these realities, University students should also evaluate the ways in which we can exact change. Walk out. Call your legislators. March.

The time has come for meaningful change — let’s remember that we are also not invincible in the face of forces of evil. Let’s institute effective public policy to keep harm at bay.

THE CAVALIER DAILY THE CAVALIER DAILY The Cavalier Daily is a financially and editorially independent news organization staffed and managed entirely by students of the University of Virginia.

The opinions expressed in The Cavalier Daily are not necessarily those of the students, faculty, staff or administration of the University of Virginia. Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the editorial board. Cartoons and columns represent the views of the authors. The managing board of The Cavalier Daily has sole authority over and responsibility for all content.

No part of The Cavalier Daily or The Cavalier Daily online edition may be reproduced in any form, in whole or in part, without the written consent of the editor-in-chief.

The Cavalier Daily is published Thursdays in print and daily online at cavalierdaily. com. It is printed on at least 40 percent recycled paper. 2016 The Cavalier Daily Inc.

HAVE AN OPINION? The Cavalier Daily welcomes letters to the editor and guest columns. Writers must provide full name, telephone number and University affiliation, if appropriate. Letters should not exceed 250 words in length and columns should not exceed 700. The Cavalier Daily does not guarantee publication of submissions and may edit all material for content and grammar. Submit to opinion@cavalierdaily.com or P.O. Box 400703, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4703

QUESTIONS/COMMENTS To better serve readers, The Cavalier Daily has a public editor to respond to questions and concerns regarding its practices. The public editor writes a column published every week on the opinion pages based on reader feedback and his independent observations. He also welcomes queries pertaining to journalism and the newspaper industry in general. The public editor is available at publiceditor@cavalierdaily.com.

FOLLOW US @CAVALIERDAILY WWW.CAVALIERDAILY.COM

MANAGING BOARD Editor-in-Chief Tim Dodson Managing Editor Ben Tobin Executive Editor Jake Lichtenstein Operations Manager Avishek Pandey Chief Financial Officer Nate Bolon EDITORIAL BOARD Jake Lichtenstein Tim Dodson Jacob Asch Niki Hendi Katherine Smith JUNIOR BOARD Assistant Managing Editors Alexis Gravely Gracie Kreth (SA) Bridget Curley (SA) Alec Husted (SA) Alix Nguyen (SA) Aaron Rose (SA) Anne Whitney

News Editors Kate Bellows Maggie Servais (SA) Geremia Di Maro Sports Editors Alec Dougherty Jake Blank (SA) Emma D’arpino (SA) Zach Zamoff Life Editors Julie Bond Natalie Seo Arts & Entertainment Editors Dan Goff Thomas Roades (SA) Darby Delaney (SA) Ben Hitchcock Health & Science Editors Tina Chai Ruhee Shah Focus Editor Abby Clukey Opinion Editors Brendan Novak Jacob Asch (SA) Katherine Smith Humor Editor Veronica Sirotic (SA) Ben Miller Cartoon Editor Mira du Plessis (SA) Gabby Fuller

Production Editors Mark Felice Sonia Gupta Zach Beim (SA) Elizabeth Lee Print Graphics Editors Matt Gillam Aisha Singh Photography Editors Christina Anton Sarah Lindamood (SA) Chandler Collins Video Editors Aidan McWeeney Engineering Manager Katie Vinson Social Media Managers Ashley Botkin Libby Scully Translation Editors Burgard Lu Yuqi Cheng (SA) Felipe Buitrago (SA) Natalia Chavez Marketing & Advertising Managers Avantika Mehra Business Manager Kelly Mays

12

THE CAVALIER DAILY

OPINION • www.cavalierdaily.com

FUND FREE FEMININE HYGIENE Barring women from essential care products negates the University’s mission of inclusivity

A

lex Cintron handily cinched the student population’s vote for Student Council President, with over 50 percent of the vote.

Throughout his campaign, Cintron repeatedly emphasized, during interviews with The Cavalier Daily and in the presidential candidate forum, his desire for Student Council to provide free feminine hygiene products for students, faculty and staff. This part of Cintron’s platform is essential to transforming the University into an accommodating place for both sexes, given the particular challenges of menstruation for women on Grounds. Considering the University’s commitment to diversity, the administration should assist Cintron’s aims of expanding free feminine hygiene across the University, allowing all students — regardless of sex — the ability to learn with dignity.

The University should examine the needs of women’s health more closely, considering that the student population is majority female. Approximately 12,000 female students attend the University at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Supplying feminine hygiene is only a primary level care for the female students. As Cintron mentions, subsidized STI

testing is also a must for the student body as well as easily accessible gynecological care. However, providing free, accessible tampons and pads is a realistic starting point for a feminist restructuring of Grounds.

It is clear that programs like these are possible because the University currently subsidizes safe sex initiatives. Resident Advisors are able to pick up packages of condoms from Student Health to share with any resident in on-Grounds housing.

Moreover, any student at the University can pick up free condoms on any visit to Student Health or the LGBTQ Center. While the ease of access to these materials is a wonderful opportunity for any student to practice safe sex, it also represents a deep irony — electing to have safe sex is a choice, menstruation is not.

For most women at the University, monthly periods are an inevitability, not a choice. And in this case, the University is choosing to make the choice to have safe sex easier than any woman’s ability to have her period with dignity.

The average female co-ed at University will have roughly 36 periods over the course of her time at the University. The average cost for feminine hygiene over four years

roughly totals to over $252, using CVS brand tampons priced at $7 as a general baseline. This doesn’t include accessory products such as panty

permanent or irreparable stains on clothing — another cost to the stu-

dent — difficulty concentrating in class, general bodily discomfort and

There’s a stigma concerning women’s health that’s pervasive within all aspects of society.

liners, pain relievers or heating pads.

For extreme cases, such as those diagnosed with endometriosis or PCOS, medication is needed to assist with the pains and/or complications that come along with menstruation, ranging from prescription pain relief to birth control pills. These additional costs are not factored into cumulative $252. In all, this basic bodily function is extremely costly for women.

For women of less privilege on Grounds, access to feminine hygiene can be a luxury. Going without these valuable products can turn this monthly event into absolute disaster. There’s a strong possibility of

most of all public embarrassment.

The fact that certain women are forced to endure these conditions or face financial peril is unacceptable, especially for women affiliated with the University. Overall, the University should not only aid Cintron’s mission to aid these underprivileged women, but also continue to expand women’s health for all female co-eds.

Subsidized feminine hygiene should be the beginning of the University’s pursuit to aid women’s health. This monthly trial is universal for women, and the University should acknowledge the needs of students out of empathy and sheer pragmatism.

However, there other worthy causes

for the University to consider, ranging from broadening the number of providers available perform IUD insertions on Grounds to increasing staff at Student Health’s Gynecology Center. There’s already an ample health gap in reaching women’s health nationally, and the University should strive to outperform this low bar at the local level.

Talking about periods is difficult.

There’s a stigma concerning women’s health that’s pervasive within all aspects of society. However, while even conversation is hard and developing public policy on this matter is even harder, these initiatives need to be acted out into fruition. The difficulty of the situation only signals the extent to which the University needs to take action to serve the community.

Like Cintron suggests, the University should be an “Open University.” Let’s make it open enough to have these complicated conversations and enact a win for women’s health.

KATHERINE SMITH is the Senior Associate Opinion Editor at The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at k.smith@cavalierdaily.com.

DEMOCRATS SHOULDN’T BE OVERCONFIDENT IN 2018 Democrats have to be aware of several factors that could lead to another Republican upset

D

uring the 2016 election, Donald Trump had very low approval ratings, polling showed Democrats with a huge advantage for the upcoming election and media outlets like The New York Times were asking “What Are the Chances That Democrats Retake the House?”

Claims made about the 2018 election look remarkably similar to those made in the run-up to the 2016 election, and that should cause Democrats to be wary. In 2016, Democrats — and many Americans generally — thought Trump would not win, but he beat the odds and Republicans could quite possibly do it again. As the 2018 midterm elections approach, Democrats have to be aware of several factors that could lead to another Republican upset.

Perhaps the most substantial obstacle Democrats have to overcome is the partisan bias in the congressional map. According to FiveThirtyEight, Republican bias in the House of Representatives is at a historic high as a result of partisan gerrymandering.

Since Congressional districts are generally drawn by the majority party in each state’s legislature, district maps that minimize the

number of seats the minority party can win in upcoming elections.

While there are some restrictions regarding racial and population disparities, there is no prevailing, nationwide prohibition on partisan redistricting efforts. Given that Republicans have complete control of the state government in

population densities. This greatly helps Republicans because, in the Senate, population is not a factor.

California, with a population of over 37 million, gets the same number of senators that Wyoming receives with a population less than 564,000. Republicans are so dominant in low-population

Republicans are so dominant in low-population states that they don’t need to win any of the traditional swing states to win a Senate majority.

26 states — compared to just six states for Democrats — partisan gerrymandering will obstruct Democrats’ path to a majority in the House.

FiveThirtyEight also points out that there is a severe Republican bias in the Senate stemming from the geographic strongholds of each party, despite the fact that it cannot be gerrymandered.

While Democrats garner most of their support from highly populated areas, Republicans are bolstered by states with low

states that they don’t need to win any of the traditional swing states to win a Senate majority.

In addition, Republicans will most likely recover from some of their more controversial acts this term including their attempt to repeal ObamaCare, the passage of a tax reform bill and their financial support of Roy Moore in his ill-fated senatorial bid. These actions may have initially damaged Republicans’ ability to keep full control of the government, but in the next nine months, I would

expect Republicans to avoid any overly provocative issues and instead focus on ones that are more bipartisan, such as infrastructure spending. Both Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump have sought to create a bipartisan tone for 2018. If they succeed, they would likely lessen any electoral blow they may receive in the midterms by bringing some dissatisfied Republicans back into the GOP fold. Since the beginning of the year, the Democratic lead in the generic congressional ballot, has already decreased from 13 percentage points to about 8.5.

This could be occurring because Republicans are not currently pushing any highly-publicized and unpopular bills through Congress, but it could also be the result of a more unifying tone that could last for the remainder of the year. If the current Democratic lead is the new normal — or if it continues falling — liberals should be worried about their ability to win control of either chamber.

The final reason Democrats should not be so sure of victory in the upcoming elections is because we are still nine months away from Election Day. It is possible that the conditions of this country

will be very different in November compared to the circumstances we are presently living in. A series of favorable events for the GOP before Election Day would immensely improve their chances of maintaining control of Congress. If, for example, Republicans are able to pass immigration reform, Robert Mueller absolves Trump of criminal wrongdoing and the economy is fundamentally strong when voters go to the polls — none of which are inconceivable — it would not be surprising to see Republicans keep Congress.

Democrats do have reasons to be hopeful for the upcoming election. These include generally good polling numbers, great results in recent special elections, a mass exodus of Republican incumbents and a criminal investigation concerned with Trump’s administration. However, for the reasons mentioned above, they should not count their chickens before they hatch.

GAVIN SCOTT is a Viewpoint writer for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at opinion@cavalierdaily. com.

THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2018

H

13

A hard situation concerning the Crown Juuls

HUMOR Dear W & S, I come to you with a very hard situation. Or, soft I should say. I’ve been having some serious problems with … downstairs … I think I’m attracted to my girlfriend’s juul. But, before you judge, let me try to explain myself. The problem really began when she started juuling before we did the dirty (and sometimes during but that’s a different story). Everytime we kiss, she tastes like that damn Creme-Brulee-flavored pod. Eventually, every time she

whipped out that juul, I started getting real excited, if you know what I mean. Kinda like one of that dude Pavlov’s dogs. Soon, it wasn’t enough to just watch her juul. I wanted more — I NEEDED more. I tried holding her juul while I diddled the skittles, but soon that wasn’t enough. I had no choice but to do the unmentionable.

Sticking it up was the quickest way to get it up. It was great for a while, but the pleasure soon turned into dependency. Now, I can’t get it up without a juul up my butt.

I never intended for it to go this far. Please help.

-Juulov’s Dog P.S. This is anonymous, right?

Dear ‘Juulov’s Dog’, Holy God. I will begin by saying I have not heard something that unique in all my years of writing for Dear W&S. What a predicament. But trust me, believe it or not we have all been there.

Have you tried throuple’s therapy?

It’s just like couple’s therapy, but for a throuple. It involves a couple and a very special friend. In your case, your girlfriend’s little juul friend. I would suggest bringing the Creme Brulee pods too — you sound like you are really struggling with these guys. It works like a charm. A girl in my sorority tried it and had great results with her boyfriend and her monogrammed

Swell. Last I heard they were happily living in an apartment near the corner with his and hers Swells. See! You’re not alone! I’ve even heard of this situation happening with a yoga mat.

And trust me, a juul is a lot smaller than a yoga mat. At least you will only have to deal with long term emotional damage.

In this modern day and age, relationships have no bounds, except for being healthy. So, find yourself a nice, new-age therapist that deals with this sort of thing (you’d be surprised who you can find these days) and find yourself growing in ways you’d never imagine. Become a bigger, better you without, “juul up your butt”, as you so

eloquently put it. Also, just a suggestion, maybe consider one-on-one therapy. Alternatively, just go cold turkey.

Throw the juul away and grow up.

W&S P.S. Yes this is anonymous, but maybe you shouldn’t have submitted it with your UVA email.

P.P.S. I really hope your girlfriend is not still using that juul. I’m no specialist, but that cannot be healthy. Did you at least wash it?

ELIZABETH OZER AND SARAH HOLZGREFE are Humor columnists. They may be reached at humor@ cavalierdaily.com.

Dear resident on the floor above me Dear Resident on the Floor Above Me, Hello! Your friendly neighborhood RA here, just shooting you a quick email about a small concern I have that I wanted to address with you. Since I am an RA, that automatically means I am a quality, top-notch human who exists for the validation, support, and affirmation of others. It’s my job as a Resident Advisor to — you know — advise, so I hope you will take this as a friendly, non-assertive, totally optional recommendation from a good friend … who also happens to be in a position of authority over you and can tarnish your permanent record for decades to come.

But you know, it’s fine.

First things first, I wanted to say that you are an individual with rights and freedoms, and you have the au-

tonomy to exercise those rights and freedoms. You are in college, after all.

And that means you can sleep with whomever you want, whenever you want, and however you want! As long as you’re both consenting adults. Of course (I have to say that, I’m an RA).

And even though you have to be nice to me because I’m an RA, and talk to me when we awkwardly end up in the elevator at the same time because I’m an RA, and answer my questions about how your day was because I’m an RA, and accept it when I write you up when I catch you drinking in dorms because I’m an RA, I’m still a student just like you. I have classes and readings and homework and papers and clubs and a life. And do you know what I need so I can do all those things? SLEEP. You might not be aware, dear resi-

dent, but I haven’t been getting a lot of sleep recently. And I know you haven’t either. You want to know how I know?

The floors/ceilings in dorms aren’t made to be especially soundproof, you see. Earplugs and my “Forever Alone” Spotify playlist can only do so much.

Our school has much better things to spend its money on than the quality of student housing. Some examples include those carpets of pristine, genetically modified, scented grass that our resident magical gnomes roll out when prospective students come to make them realize “ah, the Lawn really is greener on the other side,” or academic building renovations that have been going on for literally six months after their estimated end date or filling that mysterious “strategic investment fund.”

Oddly enough, I’m not trying to

ask you to stop having sex. That would be rude and frankly isn’t in my job description. Why would I go above and beyond the guidelines of my position as an RA to support the academic, emotional and social development of students during some of their most formative years as young people? All I’m asking is that you please maybe possibly kind of potentially just keep it down a little bit. If it helps, I’m super proud of you and your partner for your … adventurous ideas, and … big imaginations. That’s totally cool. But seriously, I know your safe word, and I really wish I didn’t (Thomas Jefferson?

Really? You can be more creative than that).

For all that is good and pure in this world and especially for my 3000 level politics midterm exam next week, keep it down! In conclusion: don’t sex

less. Just sex quieter.

All the Best, The RA on the floor below you P.S. Also I have, like, 300 condoms in my room if you ever need any. Because honestly, I won’t ever need them.

I’m an RA. *This article is completely fictitious and is in no way affiliated with Housing and Residence Life.*

CASEY BRENEMAN is a Humor columnist. She may be reached at humor@ cavalierdaily.com.

An ode to the Alderman Library bathrooms I’m not one to wax poetic. Sometimes I’ll epilate. Usually I do my best to avoid digging out deeply-rooted, unfortunately ingrown truths, and just casually slick right over ‘em with my trusty old Schick Quattro. But today — this bright yellow morning birthed of grey yesterdays and burning into blue tomorrows — today, I will indulge my flowery, romantic tendencies, and just freakin’ go for it.

Why, sweet reader? Because today is the day I discuss the most lovely, most spiritual, most fulfilling aspect of Mr. Jefferson’s University: the Alderman Library bathrooms.

I know what you’re thinking: Lucy, how dare you attempt to grasp at such ethereal resting places with simple scrawlings of ink on paper? No mortal being can describe the magic, no words can encapsulate the calm, nor

the faintly moldy smell, that emanates from those tiled, heavenly cells. I understand your hesitation — I have felt it myself — but I dare because none before me have. I dare because I think it ought to be done. I dare because soon every toilet and sink in Alderman will be not only functioning, but uniform.

With renovation looming ever closer, my time with the Alderman I have come to love and trust hastens to an end. Oddly placed spicket in the third floor Alderman women’s bathroom, this one’s for you.

I think, like all good stories, my ode should begin with an allusion, something to set the scene and tone.

Are you familiar with “The Grapes of Wrath”? Yes? Great, the Alderman I grew to love was nothing like that.

It was a sunny April day in my first year. I had just eaten from the dump-

ling cart for the first time. Has my body shown me time and again that I am unable to eat greasy food without getting sick? Yes. Are the dumplings from the dumpling cart greasy? Devilishly so. Is Lucy Hopkins a quitter?

Only in important aspects of her life, and dumplings really aren’t a priority.

Though common sense and acid reflux told her to quit, nevertheless, she persisted. And who picked her back up when the taloned fist of Americanized Chinese food gripped her stomach and drove her to yak in the toilets right off the Aldy cafe? The ghost of the fabled Lady Alderman herself, a benevolent spectral godmother. In one of those characteristically off-center, chipped porcelain founts, I lost my lunch and found my strength.

The unpredictably pressurized water springing forth from the leaking

faucets, the sunshine pouring in from those oddly placed windows, the ageold cracks in the speckled floors, the weirdly comfortable corduroy chair in the bathroom off of Gov Docs which remains unused because nobody in their right mind will sit in a reclining chair and just read in the bathroom because it’s not really a casual resting place but I guess maybe it could be because it has a decent amount of natural light and its temperature is fairly well regulated and the company entering and exiting the room is generally decent and eager to get out of your hair and really this is a great place to fix your hair, too, if that’s what floats your quickly sinking boats — they’re the constancy I cling to in our dynamic times — they’re what makes these heavenly quarters feel like home.

I fear the day when I choose a stall

without first checking to see if it has sufficient toilet paper. I fear the day when I’ll look for musings scratched upon peeling painted doors and find nothing. I fear the day when I can sit on the toilet and not have half my body lurching towards one side or the other. I know they say all good things must come to an end, but I thought I’d found an eternal resting place here. I guess even heaven has to be renovated sometimes. So long, sweet dysfunction, I dearly love ye.

LUCY HOPKINS is a Humor columnist. She may be reached at humor@ cavalierdaily.com.

14

THE CAVALIER DAILY

HUMOR & CARTOON • www.cavalierdaily.com

Classes to include built-in HQ Trivia break this fall It’s 9 p.m. At this time of night, one would expect your average college campus to be abuzz with students finishing last minute reports or chilling in their dorm lounge. Instead, what one would find is every single student staring at their phone, desperately trying to win $2,500.

This is all thanks to HQ Trivia, the hottest new mobile game that has quickly risen to extreme popularity since its founding in August 2017. The object of the game is simple, answer 12 questions correctly and you win a portion of the prize, which is most often $2,500. There are two games a day at 3 p.m. and 9 p.m.

More than one million people play an average game, and a fair amount of them are students.

College students possess the best qualities for a trivia player — they have a lot of unnecessary knowledge, love procrastinating on actual work, and will do anything for extra money.

C

CARTOON

The popularity of HQ Trivia is not lost on the University, which has announced that classes that take place during the 3 p.m. game time will include a builtin break beginning in the fall of 2018. The University of Virginia is the first east coast university to make such a change.

“Here at U.Va., we celebrate knowledge,” a university spokesman said after the announcement, “and HQ Trivia tests students on that knowledge in a completely arbitrary and pointless way, which is why we’ve decided to make HQ a part of daily life here on grounds. This university was founded on the principle of illimitable knowledge, and HQ Trivia represents that idea.

It’s a game that celebrates the knowledge of completely useless facts that will in no way help students in the future. We want our students to know that we support this endeavour, and I’m sure if Mr. Jefferson were alive today,

he’d be playing twice a day with the students, too.”

The University has maintained that these are their only reasons for the change in scheduling, but recent admissions announcements might undermine that. After a devastating slip to the #3 Public University in the country, U.Va. has been dedicated to increasing its pool of applicants, and appealing to more high schoolers around the country may hold the answer. Studies show that trivia nerds make up a silent majority of America.

In fact, a recent survey out of U. Va.-Wise shows that the average teenager would rather go to a trivia night than an amusement park. The only thing teens ranked higher than trivia in order of fun was online quizzes, which often overlap with trivia anyways. The university is most likely appealing to this cleavage in making these new changes.

In coming years, the trend

of appealing to trivia nerds may even expand further. Leaked documents from the undergraduate dean’s office suggest new classes like “ENWR 1510: The Pursuit of Trivia” and “ECON 4730: How to Get Away with Trivia Fraud” could be available as early as spring 2019. If the trend continues, there could even be a Mobile Trivia major (TRIV) available to students within the next two years, making U.Va. the fourth U.S. university to implement such a program.

So far, faculty reactions have been mixed. While most are supportive, some argue that these new changes don’t do enough.

Economics Prof. Margaret Jamieson spoke to The Cavalier Daily on Monday, saying “It’s nice that they want students and professors to come together over this, but their announcement shows a clear lack of understanding of what HQ Trivia is all about.

They call it a ‘game,’ but it’s so

Living on the Lawn

BY MIRA DU PLESSIS

much more than that. It’s a cultural phenomenon, and the University needs to recognize that.”

Jamieson then revealed ongoing plans to protest outside University President Teresa Sullivan’s home every day until more is done to celebrate HQ and trivia in general on grounds. “I won’t stop until they’re ringing the chapel bells every day at 3 and 9.”

For now, though, students should plan on returning in the fall to a new classroom culture, one that stops dead in its tracks every day at 3 p.m.

JAKOB H. CANSLER is a Humor columnist. He may be reached at humor@cavalierdaily.com.

THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2018

P

WEEKLY CROSSWORD PUZZLE Dan Goff | Arts and Entertainment Editor

PUZZLES

*THE SOLUTION TO THIS PUZZLE CAN BE FOUND IN NEXT WEEK’S ISSUE 1

2

3

4

10

EVENTS

Friday 3/2 Baseball vs. Yale, 3 pm, Davenport Field Saturday 3/3 Beasts!: Annie Temmink Exhibition Opening at Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative 5:30 pm - 9 pm Men’s Basketball vs. Notre Dame, 4 pm, John Paul Jones Arena Baseball vs. Yale, 1 pm, Davenport Field Winter Farmers Market at IX Art Park 9 am - 1 pm Sunday 3/4 Women’s Lacrosse vs. Syracuse, 12 pm, Klockner Stadium Women’s Tennis vs. Duke, 12 pm, Snyder Tennis Courts Baseball vs. Yale, 1 pm, Davenport Field Men’s Lacrosse vs. Syracuse, 3 pm, Klockner Stadium Monday 3/5 City Council Meeting at City Hall 6:30 pm to 10:30 pm Tuesday 3/6 Gina Sobel and Friends at Miller’s 6 pm to 1 am Baseball vs. Davidson, 1 pm, Davenport Field

S L A S H

N A R C S

R O B E R T

H E I F E R

U P L I N K

S P A R

S E R U B L T I N M A A U

E L E B Y E R I E H E B A R D A S I E S T E S S

N A M I B I A

C H I N O

T W I T T E S R T Y S M A R C O K I L

L I L T

A R D E N C S Y H A M H O M M E U N T T E A

S T E R O L

P Y R I M T E E M

18 21

20 24 29

O R I E N T

R E A D S

30 33

35

36

27 31

47

48

32

51

44

52 56

57

58 59

10. Sea creatures known for finding larger hosts — also called "suckerfish"

33. Smoked, seasoned sausage 35. African "sleeping sickness" flies 38. Fraud

26. Idiotic person 28. Long ago — archaic

31. Villains' hideouts in comic books?

46

53

54

60

Down 1. Unfortunate side effects of periods 2. Some people say never to work in this field, if you can help it

32. As a noun, skin irritation; as an adjective, hasty 34. Frank Ocean track "Sierra ___" — also a West African country

45. Ritualistic action

36. It's coming soon! ___ break

47. Bumpy skin blemish

5. Latin for "therefore"

37. Properties

48. Individual thing / person, typically part of a larger whole

6. A dog might do it if they're hot

39. Card game similar to rummy

7. Moves from one stage to a more complex one

40. The owner of property that touches another property — or, minus the first letter, a condiment for toast

49. Not clothed 52. Boat-racing sporting event

24. Turned or slid violently

45

4. "The Shape of Water" is a Best Picture ___

43. Soft throw

17. African xylophone

23. Rejection of a law

41

3. Showing sexual desire

50. Friendly, approachable

21. If you have an injury, put it on ___

40

35. Dated, somewhat sexist phrase meaning "without exception" — three words

42. Soaks up liquid with something absorbent

16. Disregard intentionally

20. Meson with a mass approximately 270 times that of an electron

39

49

55

5. Fencing swords — not foils

28

38 43

1. Prefix that, when added to -berry, makes a popular brand of Ocean Spray juice

9

34

42

Across

8

23

37

50

7

19

22

26

25

6

14

17

29. Enter or trickle slowly into something, as a liquid N A N T E S

13

16

18. More varied, or a comparative form of "Girls, Girls, Girls" band ___ Crue

O I L M A N

12

15

15. Practicer of ancient philosophy, though the word has scientific connotations today

*THIS IS THE SOLUTION TO LAST WEEK’S PUZZLE

5 11

14. What many students — or faculty — might do during 36-down

S T U D C O

15

55. Old-fashioned women's gown 56. Mother-murdering, title character of Euripides play 57. Take into one's body by swallowing or otherwise absorbing 58. Someone who carries luggage 59. Female pronoun 60. Behave in an ingratiating way

8. More strange and frightening 9. Rains in partially solid form 11. The edge of a basketball hoop, for instance 12. Popular service option for 36-down — abbreviated

41. The type of test that makes 36-down seem like a far-off fantasy 42. Hindu male religious teacher

13. Sedate, unadventurous

44. Strip of leather used for sharpening straight razors

14. Period existing between two events — two words

46. Earl Grey, Sleepytime, etc.

19. Plant or animal decay

51. Moses saw a burning one in the Bible

22. Plural form of enormous statue / being 25. Student loans tend to cause a lot of ___

53. Greek god who might be described with threedown

27. Classic America track "___ Man"

54. Disease-causing microorganism

30. Suggest or assume existence of something

CORRECTIONS In the Feb. 22 edition of The Cavalier Daily, the article titled “‘Vanity Fair Confidential’ addresses sexual assault at U.Va.” misstated that Roling Stone settled with the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity for $1.26 million. The correct amount is $1.65 million.

THE CAVALIER DAILY

A& E ARTS &

Carving theatre out of a concrete box First Year Players thrives in production of ‘Anything Goes,’ despite limited space, funding

ENTERTAINMENT “If you hear some jazz music coming from, you know, the floor above you and lots of loud tap dancing, it’s probably us,” said Grayson Harlow, fourth-year director of the First Year Players’ Spring production of “Anything Goes.”

The First Year Players is an independent student-run theatre organization, currently consisting of a production staff, artistic staff, technical staff, three committees, cast and orchestra pit. In total, FYP is comprised of 134 University students, not including general members from past semesters that continue to support the organization. The numerous divisions of the organization make it difficult for only first-years to run, which is why both first years and upperclassmen are permitted to join FYP staff while only first-year students are allowed to have acting roles.

“We have a ton of people

16

Jackie Leary | Associate Editor from all different sorts of backgrounds doing all different types of things,” third-year Producer of FYP Carina Clawson said. “We have engineers, we have pre-med, we have English majors, Drama majors — all kinds of people … I actually wouldn’t consider myself a nerdy theatre kid.”

Clawson is a Biology major, and Harlow is an Environmental Science major. They stressed that FYP has a welcoming environment from all walks of life.

“If you are a nerdy theater kid, you’ll definitely fit in,” Harlow said. “Even as a casual enjoyer of musical theater, or even if you just want to have friends and be a part of something, I think it’s fun no matter what.”

FYP’s primary mission is to give first-year students an opportunity to participate in theater at the University, especially when most theater groups on Grounds cast early in the semester — or even the preceding semester. As

FYP founder Ed Golden noted, first-years often have to compete against upperclassmen drama majors for roles, making it difficult for them to become involved. FYP provides an opportunity for that involvement and aims to produce musicals for the University and Charlottesville community at large.

From fall 2014 to fall 2018, FYP’s past productions include “The Producers,” “Godspell,” “Merrily We Roll Along,” “Cabaret,” “The Addams Family,” “Little Shop of Horrors” and “Pippin.” Such large ensemble shows require a diversity of talent — painters, light technicians, choreographers, musicians, business managers — and space.

“Each semester is a new adventure in finding rehearsal space,” Clawson said.

Rehearsals run Monday through Thursday, and with a cast of 23 performers and an orchestra pit of 22 musicians,

navigating Newcomb’s room reservation system is one of FYP’s biggest obstacles. Because the group must compete with other Contracted Independent Organizations to find space where it is appropriate to fill the air with Cole Porter music, FYP rehearses “in any closet that Newcomb will give [them],” according to Harlow.

Even as a CIO, a group that is potentially eligible to apply for funding through Student Council, FYP has only applied for Council funding this spring. It is not certain yet whether they will be granted funds. This semester, they expect to spend a little over $12,000 and bring in roughly the same amount, leaving an expected profit of $49 for the next semester — and this is an optimistic projection.

The organization requires no mandatory operation dues from its members. Tickets to shows are $5.

After rehearsing, set-designing, fundraising and marketing “Anything Goes” throughout the semester, FYP will move into the Student Activities Building in mid-April, a week before their shows April 26-29 for tech week — a time for intensive rehearsal.

“It’s [the SAB is] really just a concrete box,” Clawson said. “I always love tech week. There’s always a moment where you realized that we’ve turned a concrete box into a theater. It’s kind of incredible.”

Lucy Dacus intends to make musical history Richmond-based rocker gets excited about upcoming show, new album “Historian” Dan Goff | Arts and Entertainment Editor ‘’Lucy Dacus has a lot in common with the average University student.

For starters, there’s her age. At just 22, Dacus would pass for a fourth-year.

She also experiences many of the emotions which just about any University student faces at one time or another — in her words, “stress, anxiety, anticipation, excitement.” But these interrelated, conflicting feelings don’t stem from an upcoming essay deadline or the concerns of an imminent job search. Dacus doesn’t attend college — she dropped out of Virginia Commonwealth University after less than two years — and she already has a job secured, as one of indie rock’s boldest, most exciting new voices.

Instead, Dacus is stressed, anxious, excited and eagerly anticipating the release of her upcoming album “Historian,” with a slated March 2 release.

This is the follow-up to her 2016 debut “No Burden,” a remarkable, diverse collection of indie rock tunes. Dacus is also going on tour to support the new album — at The Southern Cafe and Music Hall March 7 as one of her first stops.

Arts and Entertainment had the opportunity to speak with Dacus about “Historian” and all that comes with it — its backgrounds, its moods and its myriad influences.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Arts and Entertainment: You’ve talked a lot about the stress associated with waiting for the new album to come out. Now that it’s just a few days away, has that stress lessened at all?

Lucy Dacus: I don’t know. It’s always morphing. Stress, anxiety, anticipation, excitement — it’s all one emotion that veers positive and negative.

I think right now it’s leaning towards positive — I’m really excited. Sometimes it’s stressful to be excited, but I just really want people to hear it.

AE: How long has “Historian” been in the works?

LD: That depends on your metric for that question. I’ve been writing these songs for six years, so that’s the longest answer. We recorded in March — like a year ago — and the album was totally finished in June. That’s how long I’ve been waiting since it’s been a finished product.

AE: So, you’ve been sitting on this for a while.

LD: Yeah. A lot of these songs we’ve actually played live, and people who have seen us live might recognize some of them.

AE: Is that standard fare for an album to sit around for a year before it’s released?

LD: A year is a little long. But if you want to press it onto vinyl, that takes three or four months. You also have to come up with all the art for it. We’re lucky enough to be on Matador, and that label has other artists that they’ve agreed to put out. We basically have to work with their schedule, which I was more than happy to do. It’s crazy being able to work with them.

AE: In a previous interview, you described “Night Shift” as a “hopeful” breakup song. Would you say that adjective can be applied to “Historian” as an album? What are some of the album’s dominant moods?

LD: It’s a hopeful album, but it’s about difficult things — sad or frustrating or debilitating things. I write about loss a lot on the record, but in the end, I always try to communicate that loss is just a part of life. Basically, it’s that principle that hope always does win out. You can always go beyond what’s holding you back. That’s the sort of progress I try to remember myself, and it felt good to write an album about it.

AE: On a similar note, how would you describe the progression of your work — starting with “No Burden” and coming to this album? Would you say you see any inherent themes, inherent messages, inherent styles?

What are some stylistic and thematic changes you’ve made?

LD: “Historian” is a much bigger album. I wrote all the songs on “No Burden” to play solo. Now, I write songs with a band in mind — I have to think of bass parts, think of drum parts. I feel like I’m more responsible for what’s on this record. I feel a little more in touch with how to record, how to write, how to arrange.

There’s a lot of distortion. I sing louder, and I think it’s about the content. The content is a little more difficult, and so I think sonically, it’s a little more dissonant. That doesn’t mean that it lacks quiet moments. I just think the dynamic range is bigger on this record.

AE: “No Burden” definitely has a more sober feel ... “bigger” is a good word to describe [new track] “Night Shift” — it’s almost bombastic. It has such an incredible range.

LD: It’s so much fun to play.

AE: Is that one that you’ve been playing live often?

LD: We’ve been playing it at the end of sets, just to kind of lead people into the new material. It’s been interesting to see how people react to it. It seems like they just forget “No Burden.” They come to the merch table and say, “Oh my god, that new song …

I like “No Burden,” but that one is so cool.” And I’m happy about that. I just hope that keeps happening.

AE: To what extent would you say your background influences your work? Does your music have any inherent ties to Richmond?

LD: I guess the cop-out answer would be that there’s nothing except the background. I couldn’t write anything without my background. My high school, my family … I take in a lot of the culture here, whether I like it or not, and it tends to come out in the songs. There’s a song on “Historian” called “Yours & Mine” that’s about protesting.

I feel like Richmond is fertile ground for political activism — it’s close to D.C., it was the capital of the Confederacy. Those things weigh on me — they’re responsibilities. I can see that coming out in various ways in my songs.

Lucy Dacus will play at The Southern Cafe and Music Hall March 7, alongside And The Kids and Adult Mom.

www.cavalierdaily.com • ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2018

17

What to expect from Marvel’s ‘Fresh Start’ Charlottesville comic shops provide local insight Gregory Lee | Senior Writer Marvel Studios continues to achieve incredible success in movies, but the same cannot quite be said of their comics. The year 2017 was particularly notorious for the company, as comic book sales declined and a PR crisis seemed to break out every month.

Perhaps then, it might seem understandable that the company would want to shake things up moving into 2018. Last week, Marvel announced an upcoming linewide relaunch with the “Fresh Start” initiative, new beginnings from new creative teams under a new editor-in-chief. But the idea of a relaunch being a “fresh” move for Marvel Comics is something of a joke — “Fresh Start” will be the seventh Marvel line-wide relaunch since 2012. How much is really changing? To understand how Marvel’s recent policies and decisions have affected the way their comics are sold, The Cavalier Daily reached out to two comic book stores in the Charlottesville area.

Atlas Comics has been operating in the Rio Hill Shopping Center for nearly two decades, and even before them, the storefront had been selling comics since the 1970s under the name Fantasia. Hank Zeman, current assistant manager and employee of five years, thinks of Atlas as “two and a half stores of merchandise crammed into one shop,” as they also offer a wide selection of table-top games and RPG materials.

Zeman wasn’t at all surprised to hear about “Fresh Start,” and described Marvel Comics as analogous to the weather.

“It kinda sucks always knowing that Marvel’s just going to change everything every, like, six months,” Zeman said. “But on the bright side, if Marvel’s doing something you don’t like … just wait six months.”

David Murray, owner and operator of Telegraph Art and Comics, was more optimistic. David and his wife Kate DeNeveu, both University alumni, lived in San Francisco for a few years after graduating in 2004 and 2006, respectively, and were inspired by the city’s vibrant independent art and comics culture to bring the art retailer model back to downtown Charlottesville in 2012.

Murray hoped that “Fresh Start” will model itself after “Rebirth,” the widely praised DC Comics 2016 relaunch that reversed the company’s fortunes following the

controversial “New 52” initiative.

Zeman pointed to how “Legacy,” the last Marvel relaunch, had emulated the “Rebirth” approach to numbering. Comic book relaunches tend to reset the series to one, a move which Zeman postulated is meant to “remind people of classic comic collecting,” of the excitement of following a new series in its infancy. But the problem with that logic was that no Marvel series could ever move past infancy with how often they relaunch. “Unbeatable Squirrel Girl” only ran for eight issues before being reset with the “AllNew, All-Different” relaunch, and Zeman had to figure out how to organize the new number one while the old number one was still on the Atlas shelves.

“Rebirth” was praised by Murray for restoring classic numbering to Action Comics and Detective comics, each of which will reach an astounding 1,000 issues this year, after both had been reset to number one with “New 52”.

Following this, “Legacy” also gave classic numbering to a several titles, and Murray found himself having to reassure confused customers that they weren’t missing Black Panther issues 19 through 165. “Fresh Start” will continue the classic numbering but will also feature separate reset numbering. Neither shop knew for sure what the best numbering approach was, but both hoped for more consistency from Marvel moving forward.

One area that Marvel has been praised in as of late is diversity.

Many mantles held by white male heroes were passed on to characters of minority demographics, such as Jane Foster as the new Thor and Amadeus Cho as the new Hulk. But as sales continued to diminish in 2017, Vice President of Sales David Gabriel remarked in an interview with ICv2, “What we heard was that people didn't want any more diversity.”

Neither Charlottesville comic shop agreed with that sentiment — as Zeman put it, “some people will follow a title for 30 years — they don’t care if it’s a man, woman, or alien.” The marketing for “Fresh Start” features the return of a number of classic white male heroes, but Zeman wanted to stress that the newer characters aren’t all just going away. In fact, he had always felt that moving the newer characters out of the classic roles and into team books or other series was part of the plan

COURTESY TELEGRAPH ART AND COMICS

Employees of local shops Telegraph Art & Comics and Atlas Comics give their thoughts on Marvel Comics’s latest of several relaunches.

to give readers more options. But Murray wasn’t quite so sure.

“I feel like [Marvel has] let a lot of good diverse books flounder because of poor publicity and marketing,” he said. “With the way the direct market is, a book needs a lot of support before it’s even released … Marvel spends so much time and publicity on the big events … The big events have been a real miss.”

Despite the trouble Marvel Comics has had, both shops see genuine signs of improvement

with “Fresh Start.” Zeman believes that with the return of classic heroes, Marvel can create more jumping-on points for fans of the movies who might otherwise be too unfamiliar with superhero comics.

Murray praised Marvel for working with new writers with non-traditional comics backgrounds, pointing in particular to Ta-Nehisi Coates’s work on the newest “Black Panther” series.

Even though Marvel still makes up a significant portion of the

comic books market, both shops still offer a wide selection outside of Marvel and outside of superhero comics altogether — from classic horror to kids books to manga.

“I like to think we have a comic for everyone,” Murray said.

THE CAVALIER DAILY

H&S HEALTH & SCIENCE

This year’s influenza virus has caused severe sickness, hospitalization and death at high rates, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of Feb. 11, the University Health System has encountered 450 lab-confirmed flu cases, including one flu-related death of an adult Charlottesville-area resident.

The deadly influenza virus has affected the University and Charlottesville by causing hospitals to reach high-capacity and employ new strategies to deal with this high volume of cases.

Robert O’Connor, professor and chair of emergency medicine at the Health System, said the overall volume of patients, largely associated with the flu season, has increased by 10-12 percent and increased occupancy in the hospital.

18

Flu causes one death in Charlottesville University Health System, Student Health, Martha Jefferson Hospital strategize treating high volume of flu cases Anna Christou | Senior Writer “We’re running close to 100 percent, pretty much at all times,” O’Connor said.

As a result, the Emergency Department has changed some of its strategies and operations.

“We have a doctor who works at the front desk now who we use to intercept some people who need lab work or some diagnostic testing that can be done before they get to a treatment room — just because we’re so full,” O’Connor said.“We’ve been able to manage it. We get people seen just as quickly as we can.”

Jessica Simmons, associate director of General Medicine at Student Health, said in an email that Student Health had 560 flu cases from July 1, 2017 through Feb. 19, 2018. The number of flu cases this year was largest in January and February, with 346 and 201 patients, respectively.

“Our numbers this year have

surpassed the total numbers of each of the previous five years except for 2015,” Simmons said.

According to Simmons, the number of cases in the 2015 academic year, defined as July 1-June 30, was 675 cases. Simmons expects the number of cases this year will continue to increase, as the flu season is still ongoing.

Despite the large volume of cases, Simmons said Student Health is committed to delivering timely care to students, so wait times have not increased.

“We have basically ‘worked students in’ to our existing schedules,” Simmons said. “Our triage nurses do use a protocol so that they can ‘triage’ students with probable influenza to appropriate appointment times.

We have also canceled scheduled clinic meetings so that we can see more patients — we routinely do this during busy times.

Outside the Health System and Student Health, flu cases have impacted other Charlottesville health practices. Andrea Chapman, an infection control practitioner at Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital, said the week ending Feb. 17 was the twelfth week of widespread flu activity.

“Influenza from a regional and state standpoint is characterized based on how widespread it is, and so widespread flu activity is at the highest level, meaning that it is in the majority of regions and there’s lab-confirmed flu and there are likely outbreaks throughout the scene,” Chapman said.

According to Chapman, in previous years in Virginia, there have been 11 or 12 weeks of widespread flu activity, consistent with this year’s numbers thus far.

“But the fact that we’re still seeing such high volumes tells me

ATMAN SONI | THE CAVALIER DAILY The deadly influenza virus has affected the University and Charlottesville by causing hospitals to reach high-capacity and employ new strategies to deal with the high volume of cases.

that it’s still going to be several more weeks at this widespread flu activity level,” Chapman said.

More specifically, Chapman said that within the week up to Feb. 17, Martha Jefferson saw 100 patients — the highest number this flu season — 22 of which were admitted to the hospital.

“Certainly, this season has been a bad flu season—a lot of people getting sick, not just patients coming to visit us but it certainly has affected our staff with contracting the flu,” Chapman said.

In addition to the challenge of ensuring enough healthcare workers, Chapman said the in-patient facilities at the hospital have been full.

“We have tried to provide some messaging to our patients especially those who present to our emergency department that there may be some more of a wait this season compared to other seasons or other times of the year just because of the high patient volume,” Chapman said.

The hospital has employed various strategies to deal with the large volume of cases, according to Chapman. For example, during January and February, the hospital opened a unit only used during high capacity occasions to accommodate additional patients.

“On the [Emergency Department] side of things, we have a triage process in place, so we try to really identify what the issue is that the person is presenting with and try to make that decision point about, ‘Is this a patient who will need hospital admission?’ or ‘Is it someone we can assess quickly?’ Chapman said.

Despite such a deadly and impactful flu, based on past trends, the flu season is expected to start slowing down over the next few weeks.

“The curve of new cases slowly drops off so that by April or May we’re back down to baseline,” O’Connor said of past trends.

The CDC recently reported that although illness, hospitalization and widespread flu activity rates are still high, the numbers appear to be decreasing.

www.cavalierdaily.com • HEALTH & SCIENCE

THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2018

19

Researchers develop a model for dyslexia with song birds UVA Brain Institute awards grant to team of professors studying language-processing disorders Anugya Mittal | Senior Writer The UVA Brain Institute — a network across the multiple schools at the University for the advancement of neuroscience — recently awarded 10 grants to cross-disciplinary and collaborative projects at the University. More than $880,000 were given to 29 faculty researchers with projects on topics ranging from concussions in high impact sports to the development and characterization of Zebra Finches, a type of song bird, as a model for studying dyslexia.

According to Jaideep Kapur, the Director of the UVA Brain Institute, the Institute was looking to provide funding projects that were innovative and promoted collaboration.

“We look for innovative, creative and transformative ideas,” Kapur said in an email statement. “We look for collaborations that can deliver more than the sum of two collaborators.”

The grant application process involved the submission of a written

project proposal and a presentation to the selection committee. One of these grants was awarded to a team comprised of Psychology Prof. Dan Meliza, Biology Prof. Chris Deppmann and Pharmacology Prof.

Mark Beenhakker for their proposed study titled, "A novel model for dyslexia and other language-processing disorders." Led by Meliza, the study attempts to develop a model for dyslexia and other language disorders.

As previous model organisms have failed to properly represent speech disorders, this project uses song birds.

Dyslexia, a disorder which affects millions of children, is often characterized by a difficulty with reading.

According to Meliza, this difficulty arises from a child’s inability to manipulate phonemes, the smallest units of speech sounds. For instance, the two words “bat” and “cat” have different phonemes at the beginning of the word with the phoneme

/b/ in “bat” and /k/ in cat. However, they share the “at” sound at the end of the word. If a dyslexic individual was asked to recognize the word “at” without the initial /b/ phoneme, he would be slower to recognize the word compared to someone without dyslexia, who would easily be able to manipulate the word “bat” without the initial /b/ to yield “at.”

Due to this problem with auditory processing, the scientists hypothesized that dyslexia may be related to early auditory perception during development.

“We believe that early exposure to language developmentally is critical to acquiring language as we get older,” Beenhakker said.

According to Meliza, there are several genes that have been implicated with the development of dyslexia and other speech disorders. Mutations in one of alleles or forms of the gene called KIAA0319 has been associated with an increase the like-

lihood of developing dyslexia.

“So what we want to do is try to understand how that mutation affects auditory processing,” Meliza said. “And so the goal is to be able to study that mutation in a model organism where we can manipulate the genes, study how the brain processes sound — and a great model for that is the Zebra Finch.”

According to Meliza, other animals models such as rodents are not able to accurately portray speech disorders since rodents do not learn how to vocalize and their early exposure to language does not define their communication abilities later in life. Zebra Finches however, learn how to communicate through song from their parents. In this manner, they are similar to infants, as their auditory system is shaped by exposure to adult speech.

As such, Zebra Finches allow for scientists to develop a model that can be used to study the effects of

mutations on auditory learning and processing.

“When we say we’re developing a novel model for dyslexia, what we’re really doing is saying that we want to build a model airplane that has some of the features of dyslexia and that allows us to delve into the mechanism of how dyslexia and other speech disorders work,” Meliza said.

Deppmann said a future goal of this project is to learn how to apply this model in a therapeutic setting.

Meliza has already characterized the learning and language of these birds.

However, the researchers still have to learn how different mutations in proteins associated with auditory processing disorders will manifest in these birds.

“So the characterizations of this model is fairly far along, but we still have a long way to go,” Deppmann said.

Health System Board discusses healthcare access Board members highlighted strategies to treat more patients while remaining a competitive healthcare provider Vyshnavi Pendala and Mahima Reddy | Staff Writers The University’s Health System Board met Wednesday to evaluate the system’s progress on corporate healthcare goals and discuss new strategies to improve both employee and patient wellbeing.

Emphasizing the University as the heart of future initiatives that attract the attention of diverse faculty, students and patients, HSB members shared reports of the latest developments in their individual medical center operations.

Richard Shannon, executive vice president of health affairs, talked about BeWell — an employee-centered wellness movement launched by the Health System two years ago. He said improving both employee and patient care would yield widespread benefits in his opening address.

“If people aren’t healthy, they can’t work,” Shannon said. “If they can’t work, then our system will not be successful.”

Now engaging 10,000 University employees, BeWell was intended to be introduced to the University of Virginia’s College at Wise employees to fulfill the Health System’s goal of becoming the healthiest place to work.

However, an initial investigation

at Wise led to the discovery that students as well as employees were experiencing difficulty accessing care and resources — especially for behavioral health and cardiology. Instead of offering BeWell to only Wise employees, the health system’s new objective is to convert the existing student health clinic at Wise into a full service primary care clinic that provides medical services to students, employees and their spouses.

The strategies discussed to combat unequal access to care at Wise and the Commonwealth at large included University-based telemedicine, which can enable family physicians at Wise to send electrocardiograms to be read and interpreted by cardiologists in a short amount of time. Telemedicine is just one effort that aims to center care and concentrate treatment at the University.

During Wednesday’s meeting, Jose Oberholzer, surgery professor and Charles O. Strickler Transplant Center Director, and Alexander Krupnick, an associate surgery professor and Surgical Director of Lung Transplantation, also discussed their current research on organ transplantation and plan to launch a comprehensive transplant program at

the University.

Moreover, Oberholzer explained his research involving the use of ex vivo perfusions — treatment of organs prior to surgery to improve transplantability — and how they enhance the viability of organs for transplantations. Unlike current preservation methods, his research allows organs that were once ineligible for transplantation to be preserved and transplanted to someone in need.

Krupnick talked about his research involving the use of immunosuppressants to improve long-term outcomes for lung graft patients. These strides in research may compel more patients to choose the University over competing medical centers.

Currently, the Health System faces competition from Richmond and Northern Virginia for transplant patients and widespread competition for cancer patients. A. Bobby Chhabra, a faculty consulting member of the committee and chair of Orthopaedic Surgery, noted that in the first three months during the transition to an updated version of Epic, the electronic medical record system used by the Medical Center, clinic visits dropped across the board and institutes

MAHIMA REDDY | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Members of the Health Board dicuss progress and improvements to be made for healthcare at the University.

like orthopaedic surgery saw several hundred fewer cases than expected.

While these declines in patient numbers were temporary, substantial future losses may affect how competitive the University appears as a provider of healthcare.

“We have got to be where the

population is,” Shannon said.

“The strategy we are embarking on moves our speciality services out into population-dense areas where we can see a substantial number of patients while growing our market share.”

THE CAVALIER DAILY

ADVERTISEMENTS • www.cavalierdaily.com

HIGH INTENSITY FOCUSED ULTRASOUND (HIFU)

CLINICAL TRIAL

The UVA Department of Surgery seeks women ages 18 or older with a breast lump that is a fibroadenoma for a research study involving an investigational nonsurgical treatment.

The purpose of the study is to test an investigational device to treat breast fibroadenomas in women. Fibroadenomas are benign (noncancerous) tumors of the breast.

The investigational device, using high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), aims to destroy tumor cells. The procedure is done on an outpatient basis and does not require general anesthesia. This study will require six study visits over 12 months. The HIFU study procedure will last four to six hours; each follow-up visit is expected to take about an hour.

Study related procedures will be provided at no cost: ●

●

Mammogram if you are 35 years old or older (if not done as a part of your routine care) Ultrasound (if not done as a part of your routine care)

●

Core needle tissue biopsy (if not done as a part of your routine care)

● ●

●

HIFU procedure Follow-up clinic visits at two or three days, one week, six months, and one year Follow-up ultrasounds at two or three days, one week, six months, and one year

COMPENSATION: ●

You may be compensated up to $400 for finishing this study ($100 after each of the four required follow-up visits after your HIFU procedure).

For more information, call 434.243.0315 or email uvastac@virginia.edu.

IRB HSR #19437 Principal Investigator: David Brenin, MD

18-149386, 1/18

20